See You At Work
by Fhal
Summary: All Ike wanted was a normal job to pay his college tuition and rent. Having one of his roommates working with him was a nice bonus. The boss who has an interest in crossdressing, however, was not. Modern AU. Ike x Marth.
1. The First Day

See You At Work

Summary: All Ike wanted was a normal job to pay his college tuition and rent. Having one of his roommates working with him was a nice bonus. The boss who has an interest in crossdressing, however, was not. Modern AU. Ike x Marth.

Warnings: For those uncomfortable with the thought of crossdressing (dressing up like the opposite sex), please do not read further unless you think you could get used to it. Because it's nice to try new things. In fact, feel free to read it and then tell me if you've converted. -rambles-

Disclaimer: Nintendo owns everything. I merely rent their characters.

i.

::::

Ike sighed as he entered his apartment. It wasn't a depressed sigh but a sigh of relief. After wasting days and nights of his summer break looking for a new job, he finally found an opportunity. The interview had gone smoothly, and he was sure he said all the right things. The only thing he was iffy about was his would-be employer's gentle smile to every answer he gave (it was hard to tell if she was satisfied or smiling out of habit). He'd know by tomorrow if he got the job though. Taking off his shoes, he noticed the flickering light in the living room. One of his roommates must've been watching TV.

"Oh, welcome back, Ike. How was the interview?" Roy gave his friend a quick greeting, then grabbed another potato chip from the bag as he reverted his attention to the screen.

"I think it went pretty well, but the lady who interviewed me was pretty quiet."

"Oo, that can't be good."

"I don't know, she smiled at everything I said but didn't give me many comments."

"We can hope, I guess. How bad do you need this job anyways?"

"Well, let's see. I've been unemployed for two months now. I think the question is more 'how much longer are you willing to feed me'?" Ike plopped down on the couch space next to Roy, taking the chip from the bag offered to him.

"Point taken. What kind of job is it?"

"Just catering. The place is open 24 hours, so I can take any shift I need."

"Hmm, sounds like Marth's job. He's on a graveyard shift again and won't be home till 4 in the morning."

Ike stared at the TV, not actually paying attention to the words uttered by the yellow-skinned animated character on the screen. He and Roy knew each other since high school and decided to share an apartment since they would be going to the same college. When Roy informed him about the 'perfect apartment space' a year ago, Ike had no idea said space would be shared by three people. From the looks of it, neither did Marth. Apparently, Roy threw together a master plan to split the rent three ways.

"_Come on, guys! Think of all the money we'll save for tuition!"_

"_I understand your reasoning, Roy, but... I would have appreciated some advanced notice." Marth looked at Ike briefly, before bringing his attention back to Roy._

"_I know, I know. But look at this place! The living room is huge!"_

"_Roy, you realize this place we're speaking of only has two rooms, right?"_

"_So? I'll sleep in the living room. I can just do my homework with Ike in his room since we're in the same classes." Ike was going to argue this point, but found no valid reason to object. If it was just for homework's sake, he didn't mind._

_Marth decided to make sure. "Ike, are you okay with this?" The other male scratched his head, looking at the bluenette with the smaller build._

"_It's no bother. It would probably help both of us be more productive anyways."_

"_That's great, but I was referring to having another roommate."_

"_Oh, it's no problem at all. I'd like to save up some money myself. Plus, I get my own room here." Marth thought about his response for a bit, then nodded and reached out his hand to Ike._

"_I'm Marth, by the way. You could say I'm a childhood friend of Roy's."_

"_Ike. Guess we'll be roommates with shorty over here from now on." The bluenettes laughed at Roy's expense and shook hands while their redheaded friend frowned._

"_I can tell you two will be getting along. Stop it."_

Despite what Roy had said back then, Ike and Marth were not that close.

Marth, being two years older than the two, was much more well-mannered and mature compared to his juniors. Half the time when Roy forgot to buy the groceries, Marth was the one who came home with filled plastic bags in his hands, as if he knew Roy would forget. Though Roy and Marth were close like brothers, Ike knew next to nothing about the man. If he wasn't studying in his room, he was out doing his part-time job. Unlike the younger occupants of the apartment, Marth opted to go to university and needed to pay for the higher tuition costs.

As the cartoon ended with credits, Ike realized something he should've asked a long time ago.

"What _does_ Marth do for work?"

"You didn't know? He works at a cafe as a waiter. You should've asked him for tips on your interview today."

"_..._Too late now."

"Next time, maybe?"

"I hope there's no next time soon. It'd be nice if I got the job."

"Ha ha, don't worry 'bout it. You're a nice guy. When you want to be. Anyway, I'm sure they'll look passed that tough appearance of yours and see what a big softie you really are."

"Okay, Roy. I think that's beyond the point I was trying to make."

Roy simply snickered and decided to turn on his gaming console as the cartoon ended. He tossed a controller to Ike. "Play a couple rounds with me? It's so boring going up against CPUs all the time!"

"Sure, because there's nothing better to do during summer vacation, what with the sun shining brightly outside... the weather being just right for some basketball or tennis..."

"What, you wanna play Mario Tennis instead?" Ike was about to respond to the not-so-bright comment, but he sighed instead and slumped into the couch.

"...Nevermind. Just start the game."

::::

What was intended to be "a couple rounds" stretched into hours of competitive gaming. Since Ike didn't play as much due to his intense job hunting, Roy thought he would've gotten rusty. Oddly enough, Ike was still in top-shape gaming-wise, winning half the matches the two have played so far.

"Damnit! You always pick the guy with the huge-ass sword! Use someone else for a change!!" Roy prided himself on being the best gamer in the apartment; he couldn't let Ike take that away from him!

"You never said I couldn't use the same character. Besides, you keep picking the one with fancy footwork." Ike smiled at the grumble emitted from Roy. As they were selecting the stage for their next clash, the front-door opened.

"Wow, you guys are still up?" Marth shut the door and took off his shoes. His roommates looked back at him, and then at the clock that hung on the adjacent wall.

Midnight. 'A couple rounds' obviously meant seven hours of gaming. They even forgot to make dinner since the two simply dug into the pile of chips Roy had stocked up on yesterday.

"You're back early, Marth. Not busy tonight?"

"There's never that many customers on Thursdays, so they let me off early."

Ike noticed something odd and sniffed at the air. "...What's that smell?"

"The boss gave me some food to take home, but I'm too tired to eat it. I'll leave it on the table if any of you want some yam fries and sandwiches." As Marth dropped off said items in a plastic bag onto the kitchen table. Ike and Roy thanked him for being their messiah once again (mostly for Roy, who would starve if no one helped him with cooking). As the oldest member went into his room, Roy turned to Ike with a smirk on his face.

"Winner gets first dibs on the food."

"You're on."

::::

Ike woke up the next day from a vibration coming from his left pocket. He grabbed for it with his eyes closed, still not willing to wake up to the start of a new day.

"...Hello?" He jumped as he recognized the voice on the other side. "Oh! Hi, Zelda! ...Yeah, I'm free....Yeah... Okay.... Great, I'll see you in bit. At two, right?... Got it, thanks a lot." He pressed 'END' as the conversation came to a stop.

He got the job!

It may not have been his dream job, but he was now employed! Now he could get his own groceries and pay for his portion of the rent again! Pumping his fist into the air, he felt the need to tell somebody about his new employment status. He ran out to the living room and spotted Roy, who passed out on the couch while they were gaming last night.

"Roy! Hey!" He shook his friend awake in his excitement, and said friend was not pleased.

"WHAT!? Can't a guy sleep without any disturbances!?"

"Roy, it's noon. And I got a call just now from the person who interviewed me yesterday."

"Oh! What'd she say, what'd she say!?"

"I got the job. In fact, I'm heading over there at two for my first shift."

"Congrats, man. I knew you could do it. Plus..."

"Hmm?"

"All the girls will be running to that cafe now just to catch you in a dress shirt, black vest, and black apron."

"...It's a simple cafe, Roy. I doubt that'd be my uniform. Aside from the apron."

"Oh, you'll see."

"No way."

"Bet you twenty bucks that that's your work attire from now on."

"Since you're feeling generous, sure." Ike had seen what the other employees wore when he was interviewed, and it was certainly not what Roy described. Like he said before; it was a simple cafe, with black walls and modern looking furniture that came in either a chocolate brown or vanilla white, occasionally patterned with the odd design. But, if his friend was such a believer of his own words, he might as well make a few bucks off of him.

"...Is Marth up yet?"

"I am now, you two talk too loud." The oldest walked into the living room with a comb in his hand, trying to get the tangles out of his hair before heading out to work. He smiled at the other bluenette. "Ike, congratulations on the job."

"Thanks, Marth."

At that moment, Roy's stomach emitted a loud cry. "...Marth? Mind making breakfast- I mean, lunch?"

"Don't I always?" Marth passed his comb to Ike and headed for the kitchen. While Ike idly wondered if Marth was telling him to comb his hair, Roy turned on his gaming console again.

"Best three out of five, I get your toast if I win." Ike rolled his eyes. Roy had to stop abusing his gaming talent. Not that Ike wasn't just as good though. He'd like the extra piece of toast before work anyway.

::::

In the end, since Roy had complained so much about Ike using the same character all five rounds to beat him, Marth ended up making his little friend another piece of French toast to make up for it. The oldest really did spoil him.

"I have to head out now, I'll see you two when I get back." Marth reached for his bag, but Ike had beat him to it.

"I gotta get going too. Are you headed east?" Ike shouldered his own backpack while carrying Marth's messenger bag as well.

"Always. If you're going downtown, we're probably taking the same bus too."

"Perfect." He looked back at the redhead who was still chewing at his breakfast. "Catch you in a bit, Roy."

::::

The bus ride was about fifteen minutes from their complex. Seeing his workplace through the window, Marth pulled the string for the next stop. He waved to Ike and got off the bus, expecting the doors to simply close behind him. He didn't know Ike would be following.

"You get off at this stop too?"

"According to my map, yes."

"That's a coincidence. Where do you work anyway?"

"Um. A place called Hyrule Cafe, apparently." Ike showed the card of the cafe to Marth. Marth really didn't see it though. He just stood there with his face frozen and his eyes wide.

"Y-You're working there!? Now?!" Ike stepped back a bit from the raised volume in Marth's voice. The other man started to become flustered as he looked to Ike for an answer.

"Yeah... I had an interview here yesterday and they called me back today to work... Do you go there often?" Marth turned away and started walking. Ike, who had no idea what caused Marth to make such an outburst, simply followed the other male to make sure he was all right. It was on his way to work, anyways.

When Marth entered a cafe, Ike stopped by the door. _Isn't this...?_

"Hey! Marth! How are you?" A blond came up to greet the older of the men. Marth smiled in return. The blond later spotted Ike as he entered the cafe. When the two made eye contact, the blond raised an eyebrow. "...Are you... the new employee?" Ike nodded. Marth flinched.

"Is... Zelda here?" The younger male looked around the cafe. The place was empty save for one customer who was typing away at his laptop, his coffee mug still steaming beside him.

"She's at the back taking a phone call. Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell her you've arrived?" Ike thanked her as she went to the back of the cafe. Marth would've followed, but Ike grabbed him by the arm before he could escape.

"Marth, why didn't you tell me you worked here!?"

"...You never asked." Ike sighed at the cliché answer, despite the truth in it. "Anyway, now you know. I have to admit, I'm as surprised as you are to be working at the same place as a roommate."

"Better me than Roy?" Ike joked, for he knew how dependent the redhead could be on Marth sometimes.

"Possibly." Marth shook off Ike's grip and placed his bag in a cubby. Ike simply sat down on a tall stool by the counter, waiting for the blond to return. "Tell me..." Ike looked up when the demand was voiced. Marth turned to face him while putting on his apron. "Do you... work the night shift?"

"I'm not sure. Zelda just told me to come in today. To be honest, I'm hoping to stay on a morning or afternoon shift for the summer." Ike might've mistaken, but just now Marth seemed to show signs of relief when he found out the details. Whatever the expression had been though, it was quickly wiped away with a smile from the older man.

"I'm sure if you tell Zelda about it, she can arrange it for you."

"Probably."

Their conversation was cut short as the blond returned with a brunette woman.

"Welcome, Ike. I'm very glad you could make it today!" The elfin woman strolled cheerfully towards the men. She gently took Ike's hand, raising it to the level of her chest and caressed it with both hands, as if providing comfort to a confused child. Ike felt his cheeks getting a bit warm. "There are only a few patrons right now, but it'll pick up soon, so let's get you started first." Ike tensed up and nodded obediently at his new boss. From the corner of his eye, he could tell that Marth noticed his reaction and was chuckling. He focused once more on the new boss as she released him and clapped her hands together. "Oh yes, how could I forget the introductions! You already know me as Zelda; Peach is our head waitress, so you can ask her about anything, and Marth here is the jewel of our cafe."

At that, Marth coughed purposefully and frowned at the brunette, but her smile was unfazed. Ike just quirked an eyebrow at the title. He _was_ curious, but Zelda had every intention to answer the unspoken question.

"Honestly, when Marth joined our nightshift, business has never been better! This cafe would never have continued the twenty-four hour routine were it not for him!"

"A well deserved title, then, don't you think, Marth?" Ike was only teasing, but Marth decided Ike should see the frown he originally formed for the brunette as well.

"Zelda, I was talking to Ike earlier and he says he prefers morning and afternoon shifts. Can we arrange that?" The brunette thought for a moment.

"Well, I actually wanted him to work afternoon and night shifts, but-"

"I-I'm fine with working night shifts too!" The phrase came out louder than Ike intended, but he really didn't want to blow his chances at this job. At the moment, this position was essential for his survival since Roy could cut his supply of food at any time. Knowing Roy, he'd abuse such power when given the chance, as a little bit of revenge for all the times Ike beat him during their gaming sessions.

"Really? That's wonderful! However, nightshifts are different. You see, this cafe is--"

"I'LL TAKE HIS NIGHTSHIFTS!" Once again, the woman's speech was cut short. Marth's hand had covered her mouth during his exclamation, so she looked at said young man in bewilderment. "I... Um... " Marth removed his hand and opted to whisper something to Zelda instead. Ike observed his boss' expressions: from understanding, surprise, delight, to excitement. Marth stepped back with a red tint on his face and retreated to the back room, leaving the boss with the newcomer.

"Ike! Why didn't you tell me you already knew Marth?"

"...You... never asked." Maybe cliché answers weren't so bad after all.

"I never asked, but I would've liked to know." Hm. Point taken. "So you're fine with just working mornings and afternoons?"

"I'm happy with any shift, but I do prefer to work when the sun is out."

"Such a healthy young man. We need more members like you on this crew!"

"Uh... um... thanks?"

"Really, our crew and customers seem more and more nocturnal as of late, but I suppose the cafe _is_ more exciting at night."

"What happens to the cafe at night?"

Zelda was about to answer his question, but then she remembered the favour Marth had requested. "Oh, just special showcasings of outfits that I've made over the years. The guests really enjoy the extra show." It wasn't the whole truth, but for now, it would do.

"That sounds like a pretty neat idea. What kind of costumes do you make?" Zelda had an urge to once again answer the question with all the juicy details, but she held back. Mentions of her interest always got her going, but for Marth, she'd keep the speech to herself.

"Oh, you'll just have to see for yourself someday when you work the nightshift." The woman smiled at the newcomer, who nodded understandingly. "Well, we've talked for quite awhile! Let's get started for real this time. With Peach here to show you how things are done around here, you'll be a top-class waiter in no time."

The blond waitress came out from the back on queue. Zelda simply patted Peach on the shoulder, exchanged eye contact, and headed for her office in the back. It was obvious to Ike that the two women shared a strong bond to be able to communicate without words. While Ike's mind wandered to the wonders of friendship, hard cardboard hit him square in the face.

"OW!" He held his nose; not expecting the sudden collision it would have with the cafe's menu.

"Alright, Ike. It's no time to be dazing! Here's the menu for mornings, afternoons, and nights at the cafe." The object that had assaulted Ike's nose was placed into his hands. For a cafe, the menu was thicker than he thought. "I'd like you to take this home and try to memorize all the items and where they are on the menu. As a waiter, you have to be aware of what we serve and react if a customer needs help or recommendations." Ike nodded, signalling Peach to go on. "Aside from that, let's start your training! Remember, at Hyrule cafe, we treat as guests like royalty. Be kind, smile, speak softly... treat them like... a princess or a prince!" At this, Ike furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Isn't that... a little too much?" Before Peach could respond, Marth came out from the backroom, wearing a wine red dress shirt, black vest, and black apron. Ike's eyes widened as he muttered: "Shit."

"Excuse me?" Peach looked to the newcomer with a slight frown. Marth had heard the curse, but ignored it to attend to the only customer at this time.

"Uh, no, it's nothing, I just... remembered something." Who knew Roy was a boy who had the goddesses at his side. Ike thought for a moment. _At least Roy won't know how right he was about the uniform unless he visits the cafe... but what happened to the uniforms he saw last time?! _"Peach, is that the outfit that waiters wear around here? I swear it was different last time..." He pointed to Marth as a reference. Peach smiled, knowing a question would come up sooner or later regarding their dress code.

"We change our outfits around here quite often. It's really up to Zelda whether she wants to try something new or not. Take mine for example." Ike hadn't thought about it before, but Peach was wearing a pair of dress pants that matched her black dress shirt adorned with frills at the edges. It was something he could see Marth in more so than Peach. "Usually I wear a skirt or dress to work, but Zelda said she wanted to see me in something a little more masculine, so we picked these out from the closet."

"...Closet?"

Peach grinned almost mischievously, grabbing Ike's arm and dragging him with her for a little adventure. "The closet. It's a collection of outfits that Zelda has made or bought, and the staff are free to wear them." Although the part of the cafe accessible to the public was only an average size at best, the back hid away a long hallway with many rooms, one of which was marked with Zelda's name on a gold plate. A few doors passed that, the pair had reached a room with no label. "This is the closet."

The knob turned from within, scaring both Ike and Peach as a boy emerged from the room. The boy however, did not seem to notice the duo until he smacked into Ike's chest. "WHOAH!" Ike winced at the volume while the brunette fell backwards and landed on his buttocks.

"Pit! That's where you were! I waited forever for you to come back to the front!" Pit, as Peach had called him, sat up sheepishly and waved hello to them.

"Sorry, but Zelda thought of this crazy idea of putting me into a dress for tonight, so I was trying not to bump into her..." Ike twitched slightly at the remark. He wondered why the boss had such strange interests.

"Sorry to break it to you, Pit. But she's your boss who comes here everyday. The chances of you not seeing her are very slim."

"...I'm good at hiding?"

"Right. Now go out there and give Marth a hand. I'm going to show our new crew member around." Pit directed his attention to the one Peach had mentioned, proceeding to scan Ike from top to bottom, looking thoughtful for only a moment.

"I see... So you're the one who's going to work with Marth on nightshifts?" Ike was going to object, but Pit continued in an enthusiastic tone. "I knew it! Zelda's always looking for someone big and strong to bring out a more effeminate side of Marth. The guests will love it!" Ike paled at Pit's theory. He rummaged in his mind for a response but could only leave his mouth hanging open without uttering a sound. "Looking forward to your performance." Pit patted the new member on his shoulder and walked on, being especially quiet near Zelda's door.

"Um... what is this... about bringing out an 'effeminate side of Marth.'..."

"Don't worry too much over it," Peach slipped through the door to 'the closet', Ike following close behind her. She flicked on the lights, letting the white light fill the room immediately. Much to Ike's surprise, the place looked like a professional make-up studio. Clothes on racks lined the walls on every side, with a set of mirrors and make up stations in the centre. Ike was almost afraid that they'd train him for runway rather than catering.

"To the left we have men's clothes, and right is for women. Centre is unisex." Peach took a few outfits out from the left side of the room and shoved them into Ike's arms. "Try them on, would you? Just come out to the front when you're ready."

Ike nodded, still dumbfounded by this extension of the cafe. As he headed to the dressing room, who couldn't help but notice a pink nurse outfit in the corner. He could only guess what went on in his new boss' mind.

::::

Marth knew he wouldn't be able to hide it forever. But he was going to try anyways. Unlike the other cafes, Hyrule Cafe was special due to the interests of Zelda. She was a master of crafts and single-handedly saved this cafe with her innovation. He had been a regular of the cafe before the power shifted to Zelda, and the difference was immediate once the lass took charge. But no matter what changes were made back then, he never expected himself to be part of the infamous nightshift.

"Hey, Marth! How are you?" The upbeat voice of his senior (yes, senior. No one could ever guess Pit's age) sent Marth back into reality. "What's wrong? You seem distracted."

"Just... thinking back to the old days when Zelda first ruled the cafe." He sighed. Why did he get himself dragged into this? Oh right, high pay.

"Ha ha, I see. Well, don't get too distracted though. You know how busy Friday nights can be." Indeed, on Fridays, you could expect the place to be packed by seven. The student checked the clock. Three thirty. He'd have to pick out his night outfit soon.

::::

From the back, Ike came out dressed in a wine blue dress shirt, buttoned to the top, and a pair of black dress pants. Marth noticed the white leather shoes were not part of Ike's usual wardrobe (when did Zelda stock up on shoes?).

Pit whistled at the newcomer. "Lookin' stylish, Ike~" He circled around Ike once, then again going the opposite direction. "Hmm...."

"What?" Ike was starting to worry that his outfit looked ridiculous on him, even if he took much longer than he should've sifting through the pile Peach gave him.

"Lemme just adjust your clothes a bit." Pit reached up and undid the top button of Ike's shirt. Needless to say, he startled the new crew member. "Hey, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" He continued down the row of buttons until he reached the one just above Ike's belly button. Ike jumped once more when Pit put his hands on his bare chest. A few nanoseconds later, Pit's hands pushed aside the shirt fabric and pulled out the tucked in shirt, leaving Ike's upper body exposed. A red blush formed on the junior's cheeks shortly after.

"U-Um..."

"There we go! Now, the girls will be all over you!" The angelic employee stepped back, showing off the finished product to Marth. The shorter blunette could only laugh.

"He...he looks like a nightclub host, Pit!" Pit looked hurt, but when he examined Ike again, he too had to agree with the statement.

"Wow.... what do you know... He kinda does."

"Thanks for the observation, Marth. Not helping."

"Everyone has to experience the 'dreaded first day of work'. You'll look back years from now and thank me for the memories."

"Doubt it." The conversation would've flowed perfectly fine, but Pit decided to open his mouth.

"Maybe that's why Zelda picked him to be your partner. Your fangirls will tip triple as much with him around you, Marth!" Marth froze. Ike's jaw dropped. _Did he hear that right....???_

"Wait, what fangirls--"

"No! No! Don't take it seriously, Ike. Pit is speaking nonsense again! Ha ha, he's always such a joker."

"Oh, I should show Ike that picture of you in the maid dress! He'll love i- OW." Pit quickly shut his mouth when he felt a sharp pain on his butt. Marth should consider cutting his nails before pinching because _it hurt like hell._

"Oh Pit. You're. So. Funny." Had he the courage, Pit would've squeaked out loud and ran outside to escape that glare on Marth's face. That glare along with the _smile_. When Marth smiled like that, it could only be bad news. But because it was so intimidating, Pit kept his feet planted to the tiled floor.

Meanwhile, unknown to what had been happening behind the scenes, Ike could only ponder on the last statement he heard: _Marth in a maid dress_. Oddly enough, the image he thought up in his head was rather _pleasing_. He blamed the university student for having such a feminine face and flawless white skin.

A group of school girls entered the cafe at this time, waiting for service. Ike swallowed. They'd be his first batch of customers on this job. Marth nudged him with an elbow and handed him an apron. "Let's get to work." Ike did an affirmative gesture, but the entire time he was trying to get his roommate's image out of his head.

"Welcome to Hyrule Cafe."

::::

TBC.

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Again, another failed attempt at a long one-shot, but I figured the time skips provided by chapter fics would be nicer for this one. The plot is set out; I just have to type it!

The only thing I'm unsure of is the rating. At the moment, I'm thinking of keeping it at T, but it's possible to push it to M. Some feedback, perhaps? My fiction only lies in those two ratings; I'd like to know what you guys prefer.

Other comments and critiques are more than welcome, of course! I try my best to respond!

- Fhal


	2. A Little Fun

See You At Work

Warnings: For those uncomfortable with the thought of crossdressing (dressing up like the opposite sex), please do not read further.

Disclaimer: Nintendo owns everything. I merely rent their characters.

A/N: Thank you very much for all the reviews and favourites! It's great to see people enjoying this story! I also have an announcement regarding this fic at the end; I'd be overjoyed if you would read to that point! : )

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ii.

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Roy unlocked the door, letting an extremely tired Ike enter the apartment. The taller of the two dragged his feet on the hardwood floor before collapsing onto the couch (which was rather comfortable seeing as it doubled for Roy's bed).

"Tough day at work?" Roy went into the kitchen and extracted two pop cans from the fridge. He tossed one over to Ike but winced when it hit the unaware male in the spine. Ike could only groan as he sat upright on the sofa.

"Well, I hadn't expected such a small cafe to be so popular in the afternoon." Ike stated as he searched for the soda can, which had rolled its way into the deep pockets of the couch. He hoped Roy had heeded his advice and cleaned up. Last time Marth dropped his watch in there, he refused to ever wear it again after Roy fished it out.

"It's in downtown after all. Plus, Fridays are busy no matter where you go."

"Yeah, but it's quite tucked in and hard to spot. The exterior doesn't attract that much attention; I wonder how it became so well-known."

"Maybe the service and food tastes good?" Roy took a sip from his can of cream soda as Ike opened his own.

"I'm not sure about the food. But there is something interesting about it." He thought about mentioning the varied work attire to Roy, but decided against it as that would inform Roy of his winning bet. "Hey, did you know that Marth works there?"

"Hmm, he's told me before the he works at a cafe-- Wait, you mean you work with him?"

"Yup. It's nice to know someone at work right from the start."

"That's great! You get to hang out with him more now!" Roy's face lit up, but the smile was lost when he considered his next thoughts. "Wow, I'm kind of envious."

"How come?"

"You two are out working together all the time while I'm stuck at a stupid video store! I wanna work with you guys too."

"Roy, you said that video store was your dreamland; you rent so many movies and games for free there."

"Yeah, but still... I rarely hang out with Marth, even though we all live together. He and I used to be so close in primary school, like brothers." The look on Roy's face was calm and nostalgic; the air around him growing heavy as his thoughts wandered to the 'good ol' days'. Ike had never seen him that way before. _Was Marth that important to Roy...?_ "I just miss those days."

Ike nodded and tried to lighten the mood. "Happens to everyone when you get older. You probably wouldn't want to take a bubble bath with him at this age though."

Roy's face became redder. "H-How did you know about that."

It seems the plan had worked. "Four hours of working together does entail some conversation from time to time. Your history seems to be good material between the two of us."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

"Should've thought of that when you signed us up to split the rent." Roy frowned and rummaged into the plastic bags on the coffee table, attempting to open the potato chip packaging before offering the well-sealed bag to Ike. The other man simply tore it open as Roy whistled with approval.

"So how is it working with him, anyways?" Ike pondered on the question as they munched away at the crispy chips. He thought back to the very beginning, where Marth seemed to be hiding something as he whispered to Zelda. He even offered to take up all of Ike's nightshifts, but why....? There was one thing he was positive about though.

"The guy is a true gentleman when it comes to work. He smiles and makes the female customers gush," Ike imitated the look of one of Marth's fans, eyes half-lidded and gazing skyward in a dazed fashion, hands clasped together for extra effect. Roy choked upon seeing his friend trying to be a teenaged girl. Ike smirked and regained his usual posture. "He works quickly and does everything in a graceful manner. He truly treats the people that come in like his king or queen! It's amazing when you watch Marth work; you can just see all the customers falling for him the moment they see his face."

Roy laughed, coughing as he had not fully recovered from choking before. This sounded familiar. "Marth's the type of charismatic individual that you almost never come across." (A few more coughs, then a quick sip of his pop). "He's so perfect; it's almost frightening. And what's more, he's not faking it, which makes him even harder to not like."

Ike had forgotten just how well Roy knew Marth. "Wow. Roy, I never knew such an observation could come from you." Roy stuck out his tongue at the comment. "There are others that work at the cafe though. The head waitress is quite nice, although she's a bit violent. She hit me with the menu during the tutorial." Roy laughed again, with bits of potato flying everywhere. Ew.

"Why'd she do that? Were you clumsy or something?"

"No, of course not. I was just... distracted."

"... Was she hot?"

"ROY!"

"I'm kidding! I just figured if you were distracted, maybe it was from her beauty... But then again, I never see you taking interest in girls. Why _is_ that?"

"...I never really think much about it."

"That's not healthy."

"...Whatever." Ike crushed the can he'd just finished and dumped it into the nearby recycling bin. "By the way, Marth's coming home late tonight. Can you start making dinner?" Roy paused. He then slowly turned his head towards Ike with a sheepish smile on his face. Ike sighed.

"At least... cook some rice."

"I can do that!" The redhead went right to it and let their conversation finish. Ike headed to his room, hoping to change into some more comfortable clothes. While retrieving a clean T-shirt, he idly wondered if the rice cooker would survive the menace of the kitchen known as Roy. He'll have to check on him in a few minutes. The blue-haired man took the menu out from his bag. God, studying during the summer wasn't fun.

::::

Marth checked the clock religiously that evening. He had kicked Ike out at exactly six o'clock, allowing for extra time to change and to make sure his roommate would not meet the _usuals_. He wanted to head to the back, but the customers were trying to keep him; many of them offering him an extra tip when he stayed for a bit of chitchat.

"Hey, Marth. Busy night again?" The single person sitting by the counter called to him.

"Good evening, Link. And yes, business is booming as expected." The bluenette sighed, knowing the night was far from over. "Here for Sheik again?" The blond smiled.

"Always."

"Why don't you ever come in the mornings?" The blond had been coming for almost half a year, but Marth only catches him at night.

"Work never lets me change my shift, much like yourself."

"Ah."

"Okay, I'll leave you be now and await your upcoming performance." Link went back to sipping what looked like a mug full of milk. Marth wanted to offer him some cakes, but he'd have to do so later. As he walked down the hallway, Zelda burst out from her office, catching Marth mid-step and throwing something into his arms.

"It's finished! I'm so glad I made it in time!" The brunette was overjoyed with her latest piece of work, gasping for air after all that labour. Marth congratulated her, but it was only out of courtesy. "Well, this will be your outfit tonight; I just know you'll look gorgeous in it, dear. Now let's hurry to get changed!" Zelda closed the door again, likely rummaging through her own personal collection for an outfit tonight. Marth headed to the closet dressing rooms and unravelled the clump of fabric that had been shoved into his arms.

Red, silky, and with beautiful embroidered designs.

And he thought the maid outfit had taken all of his dignity already. Tonight, this Chinese qipao was going to top his list of "most mortifying outfits ever". He grimaced at the side slits cut to obviously show some thigh.

::::

"Well. That wasn't TOO bad."

The employees for the next shift had come in around ten in the evening. Zelda called Pit and Marth to the counter after the replacements changed, telling them it was good to leave for the night.

"Maybe for you; you got to wear pants." Marth took baby steps as they headed to the back, showing as little skin as possible (which, proved difficult) in that silky dress. Pit pulled out the elastic bands that kept his hair in tiny pigtails. He had thought he was safe for tonight, but Zelda had managed to find an old, pink Chinese outfit in the back of the closet. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, she forced Pit to put it on and act as a female attendant to Marth. As the boss predicted, the patrons of the night loved the pair in their traditional Chinese outfits. The light from the flashes going off while they were in costume was enough to light a city.

"Hey, you got to be a mistress for tonight. Isn't that something to be happy about?" The two headed into the changerooms, juggling to get their casual clothes back on as they conversed through the thin walls.

"I don't think any man would be happy about being a mistress."

"You pulled it off pretty well though; seductive smiles and all. The crowd went wild every time you crossed your legs." Marth tried to think of a comeback, but the statement held truth in it. After working at Hyrule Cafe for so long, he had gotten used to being in-character with the outfits that Zelda provided him. His cheeks become a bright shade of red.

"I-I just hope no one I know was at the shop today." Being a university student, he'd hate to walk around campus and be recognized as "the mistress from the cafe". He plucked off the fake lashes before slipping out of the dress, silently thanking Peach for the make-up that was enough to hide his identity.

"But don't you know Ike from outside work? I think it'd be cute to have him call you 'Mistress Marth'." You can always count on Pit to slap reality mixed with humour into your face. But Marth was a strong person. He could handle it.

"Pit." The senior's back shivered when he felt the atmosphere change. He was ninety per cent sure that Marth was smiling through that wall. "Zelda's been wanting more of our staff to try the outfits she makes for me. I think I'm going to put your name forward."

The next Friday night, Zelda would reveal her latest work, causing the cafe to roar and whistle at the sighting of the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, as portrayed by a short brunette. Pit would learn to never again joke about Marth's crossdressing.

::::

Ike arrived at the cafe at six in the morning, trying to start his second week of work without yawning.

Last night, one way or another, Roy had convinced him to play the recently released game he brought back from the video store. While Roy quickly fell asleep from boredom, Ike was immediately hooked on the tactics game, sending the Lord sprite up in the front lines in every battle as he broke through enemy formations. By the time he had his first Game Over, the clock indicated it was 3 A.M. Apparently strategic planning outside of the gaming world was not Ike's forte.

"Oh, good morning, Ike!" In the kitchen (or make-shift kitchen for the small cafe), the pastry chef greeted the tall bluenette with a smile.

"Hey Luigi, how's it going?"

"Just getting the shop ready to open. Could'ya help me out a little, here? I need to put these desserts up in the front." The short Italian handed a tray full of pastries to Ike, who fumbled with it along with the duffle bag on his shoulder. When he placed the cakes into the glass counter, he noticed Luigi talking to a red-eyed blonde with a ponytail.

"Is this enough for today, Ze-" Crimson eyes narrowed at the pastry chef. "I-I mean, Sheik?" The blond examined the amounts on the trays before nodding.

"This is fine. Is Mario coming in tonight?"

"He said he'd be in around five in the afternoon."

As the two conversed, Ike wondered who this man was. It was the first time he'd seen anyone with such piercing red eyes. He certainly had as much power in this cafe as Zelda, seeing as Luigi was treating him as a higher-up. Maybe he was a manager.

"I'm gonna go for today. Thanks for helping, Ike." The chef signed off and headed to the back again, leaving Ike with the mysterious blond. Pretending to be occupied by positioning the chocolate mousse cake _just_ right, Ike couldn't decide whether to ask the blond who he was or simply remain silent. Thankfully, the other man decided for him.

"It's Sheik, by the way." Ike looked up over the counter. The man stuck his hand out towards him. He rose to his full height and shook it, noting its particular softness that most men didn't have.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ike." They released each other's hand, feeling the awkward silence return. "Um, are you... the manager around here?"

"...You could say that."

"That's, uh, cool." Ike didn't know what to say. He never was one to socialize. Sheik seemed to have noticed and smiled.

"Swallowtail coats are in the closet. That will be your uniform for today." Ike was caught off-guard by the phrase. _That sounded like something Zelda would say..._ "You'll be posing as a butler along with the rest of the crew."

A... butler? That's... classy. "Zelda's wishes?" Ike asked, hoping that Sheik was not requesting this personally.

The other man nodded. "Zelda's wishes." Without another word, Ike walked down the hallway and opened the door to the closet.

He didn't expect to find Marth inside. His roommate sat in a chair, forehead on his arms that rested on the table. Ike took a few steps closer and saw that Marth's eyes were closed.

"He's... asleep?" Ike spoke softly to himself. Marth had once again taken on the graveyard shift last night, leaving the apartment while Ike was absorbed in the game Roy had rented. He could only guess that the older had worked himself to exhaustion and fell asleep once his workshift ended. In truth, Ike had a feeling the evening shifts were harder than mornings. More often than not, Roy and Ike would find Marth coming home from another nightshift, looking like the walking dead. He had no clue how a cafe could be busier at night, unless the city was filled with nocturnal citizens or coffee addicts.

Marth suddenly furrowed his brows and started to pout. Ike had wondered if he was awake, but the other's eyes remained shut as his expression softened once more. Ike didn't know what had possessed him to continue watching Marth, but he found himself pulling up a chair and sitting down at the table, eyeing the sleeping male. The older was wearing a skin tight black shirt, decorated with red paint splatters that seemed to imitate blood stains. He also had a pair of skinny jeans and numerous silver accessories, along with a pair of boots that had too many buckles.

_Must've been punk night before..._ The tight clothes shaped Marth's body perfectly, reminding Ike just how much his roommate resembled a female at times. This was probably the first time Ike had seen Marth's face so up close to his own. He felt an urge to stroke the long lashes of the older.

'_With a look like this, I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to pull off a maid dress._' Ike surprised himself with the thought, the image he had worked so hard to get rid of a week ago now coming back to him. '_Speaking of which..._' He scanned the room, spotting the maid outfit on the right side as expected. The outfit seemed to have a matching piece of frilly headgear. Ike smiled. He might as well have some fun. That meant getting more acquainted with Marth the same way he did with Roy.

::::

Marth woke to a soft buzzing. His phone was vibrating on the table where he left it last. He flipped it open and read the white font that the caller ID was displayed in.

Roy.

"...Hello?" His voice sounded a bit raspy, having not fully woken up yet.

"Marth! Hey! I'm going to the market today before work, but I lost your list! Could you tell me the items again?"

Marth groaned. He didn't feel like thinking about his grocery list the first thing after waking up. "I hope you can at least find a pen."

"Always, after we've gone through this so many times before." The older could only sigh. Roy could remember to keep pens in sight, yet he could never remember where the goddamn grocery list was. He promptly listed each item clearly to Roy, making him repeat it to Marth to make sure nothing was misheard. The younger thanked him and hung up. Another sigh; the boy's future would be a complete mystery to anyone who knew him.

He stood from the table, but he felt his feet weighed _a tonne._ Looking down to reassure himself his appendages did not become solid rock, he realized he was still in last night's outfit, in which Zelda found it a great idea to put Marth in skin tight clothing and various accessories. Not to mention the pair of boots that probably totalled a whopping ten pounds; that four inch sole was impossible to cater in. Half the time he stood by the counter while he felt eyes following every curve of his body. The customers could be real perverts at times, male or female.

He unbuckled the boots, slipping them off and shelving them appropriately. The accessories alone took him quite a few minutes to remove. Gathering his casual clothes, he pulled back the curtain of the changeroom.

_PAUSE._

"Hm? Whoa!"

"AH! SORRY."

_Swish!_

With the curtain closed once more, Marth ended up stalking barefooted to the other side of the room, hanging his head in an ashamed manner.

Usually he was more careful about his actions, but this time he may not have fully awakened from the rest he acquired earlier. The blood started rushing to his cheeks and he felt his body temperature rising.

He just opened the curtain on Ike changing. And what's more, he found himself checking out Ike's muscular body.

The curtain was pulled back once more behind him, the taller male stepping out from the space. The older turned around and faced the object of his embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Ike. I honestly didn't mean to walk in on you changing! I had no idea you were in there!" Marth bowed his head along with the apology. Ike could only laugh.

"It's okay, Marth. I at least had my boxers on." Ike had been changing into the swallowtail, but having never worn such a fancy suit before, it took him awhile to figure out what went where. He wasn't quite fond of the tie not being a clip-on though. "Some eyecandy for you in the morning, I guess."

"I confess," Marth put up a hand to his side, blush still visible and looking slightly heavenward. "You have one, fine toned body, Ike. I'm _so _jealous." The last sentence was spoken in a mocking tone, earning him another laugh from the other bluenette.

"Thought so." He rolled up the white sleeve and flexed his muscles, showing off the bulge on his biceps. "Working out pays off." He winked at Marth playfully before rolling the sleeve back down. While Ike put on his swallowtail coat, Marth couldn't help but notice the out-of-place tie.

"Here." Marth reached forward and tugged at the knot of the tie, letting it fall loose. "You won't look like a butler if you can't even tie your tie nicely." Ike watched as Marth's hands moved fluently around his collar. Within seconds, he had the tie neatly in place and tucked into Ike's vest. He patted Ike's chest, satisfied with the result. "Much better."

"Thanks, Marth." Ike's attention was drawn to the top of Marth's head for a bit. He smiled. "Don't you have to get going? The six-thirty bus leaves in five minutes."

The university student jumped at the fact. "Y-You're right! I'll have to change quickly and run out to catch it! I'll see you at home, Ike." The man quickly shuffled into the dressing room. Ike simply headed out to the front. What Marth didn't have to know about was the missing headpiece from the maid outfit on the right side of the room.

::::

Marth heaved a sigh of relief when he got home at last. He had never changed so fast before, but in his frenzy to get to the bus stop, he hadn't double-checked in the mirror to make sure no hairs were sticking out. He got to the bus on time, and even had a few girls giving him a few looks. He was used to it though; working at Hyrule Cafe often meant all eyes would be on him when he was in costume.

When he stepped through the door, the cheerful redhead was not found on his usual sofa/bed. It was a miracle that Roy had woken up at six to begin with, though. The yellow post-it on the fridge was something he didn't see yesterday though.

'_Can't cook dinner tonight. Work split my shift to half morning, half night. FML_'

Despite the Roy's messy way of doing things, he had beautiful cursive writing that anyone could easily recognize. He was sure 'FML' wasn't Roy's signature though. That aside, he thought about the current situation: _7 A.M. No roommates. Empty apartment._

Result: UNDISTURBED SLEEP.

Discarding his coat and bag onto the floor, the student made himself comfortable on the couch, free-falling with a hard thump onto the soft material. Roy would probably be home in an hour, but still. One whole hour was all he needed to himself.

::::

Ike watched as the crowd for coffee lined up at the counter. Mornings were great business for the cafe; it seemed everyone needed that coffee buzz to get their day started. However, he felt guilty for being not much for help.

Sheik was manning the coffee bar, taking care of all the orders as Ike simply catered to the few that had time to sit down and relax at a table. Pit wouldn't be in for another half hour, so Sheik was fast becoming a one-man workforce. As much as Ike would love to help with the coffee-making, he still had trouble telling a latte and an espresso apart. To him, coffee only meant one thing: dark brown liquid and very bitter. They all tasted the same to him. Marth and Peach had attempted to help the newcomer make sense of the different components, but soon discovered he was meant to help in the kitchen. Breakfast sandwiches were easy: you either get chicken or vegetarian (he personally preferred the former).

"Ike! Are the sandwiches ready yet?" Sheik, from what Ike could decipher from the blond's swift movements, needed things to be done at a fast-pace.

"C-coming!" With a messy wrapping job, he took the sandwiches out to the front, delivering them to the appropriate customer.

"You'll have to restock on the chicken sandwiches; just make as many as you can, as fast as you can."

"Y-Yessir." His theory proved true. Ike noticed the slight smirk on Sheik's face before he returned to the kitchen. Unsettled, he really wished that brunette senior of his would show up early to help.

::::

Five grocery bags. Roy came home with _five_ large grocery bags worth of food and snacks after an hour of battling with old ladies at the market. The aggressive bunch seemed to always go for the batch of fruits or veggies that he wanted to pick out. But Roy didn't give up. By the end of his morning, he managed to get every item on the impossibly long list that Marth provided him. Sure, he shoved a few elders to do it, but he had no choice. Two grown men depended on him for their week's supply of food.

He dropped the bags onto the floor the moment he got back; taking of the shoes and pushing them with his foot into a pile with the rest.

"Marth! You back yet? I got all of your-" Roy stopped when he stepped into the living area. His senior had fallen asleep on his bed. _...What the hell is that thing on his head?_

Black.

Ribbons.

Frill.

It was a _little girl's headpiece_, that's what it was.

Roy covered his mouth, trying not to wake his pretty friend. This sort of prank could only be pulled by one as childish as he. Digging into his pockets, he fetched his trusty cellphone and turned to the camera option. Such a memorable sight _must_ be remembered through digital film.

::::

As the crowd subsided at the cafe (Pit had generously showed up to work on-time to provide aid), Ike headed to the washrooms, wiping a bit of sweat that had collected from the work he'd just accomplished and the layers he had on. A vibration came from his pocket at that time. It was a message from Roy.

_'A present for me? You shouldn't have~ But really, nice one man. You managed to make him look prettier than he already is.'_

Ike laughed audibly when he read the message. He already knew what the attachment to the text was about. Nonetheless, he was obligated to open it.

The image was a close-up of Marth sleeping, much like he was when Ike arrived at work. The garment on his head suited him perfectly. Thanks to the high quality of Roy's camera, the photo showed just how long Marth's lashes were. It would be a sin for this man to use mascara; any girl would've been jealous of its natural volume. It was definitely a nice shot of his roommate. The lighting shone on Marth's skin, making it a smooth cream white. The guy even had a natural blush when he slept; how cute.

The image was just a pleasing shot all together.

At least, that's how Ike explained it mentally to himself when he hit the 'Set as Wallpaper' option.

It was his phone; he had the right to customize it as he pleased.  
He'd just guard the device with his life to ensure no one finds out.

::::

Author's Note:

Another long chapter to compensate for the wait time. And yes, the announcement? This fic has influenced the making of a dating-sim game, 'Hyrule Cafe'!

Similar to the one described in this fic, you will get to play as yourself and be a customer to Zelda's lovely cafe! The waiters will pamper you endlessly, of course. The creation part is already underway, with preview images on my profile page. I just hope for your support throughout the course of this fanfic; thank you again to every reader! Any suggestions, questions, or comments are forever welcome.

- Fhal


	3. Too Many Thoughts

See You At Work

Warnings: For those uncomfortable with the thought of crossdressing (dressing up like the opposite sex), please do not read further.

Disclaimer: Nintendo owns everything. I merely rent their characters.

::::

iii.

::::

Before Ike opened the door that afternoon to his flat, he paused in fear of facing an unhappy Marth. From the way Roy tells the story, it seemed that the oldest member of their flat was not pleased with the "misplaced" accessory that had found its way laced up on his head.

"You should've seen it, Ike! He was so red when he found out, I didn't know whether to be scared or to take another picture for keepsake." Lucky Roy. He'd escaped Marth's wrath; safe at the video store counter and obviously slacking on a low-traffic weekday at work.

"...I'm still at the door." The waiter sighed into his cellphone, not willing to open the door that kept his roommate from him. "Roy, should I just eat-out while I still can? I have feeling that Marth won't be making any effort to feed us for awhile."

"No way, I bought all the groceries today; that's enough to last three for weeks. If we don't eat it, the food's just going to sit there and rot." Ah. Good point.

"...Have you ever seen Marth mad before?" Ike himself had barely witnessed the gentle man yell at anyone, let alone angry with them. "It's this unknown factor that I'm afraid of; I don't want to let a prank become the end of my short life."

"I think you're worrying too much, Ike." In the background, a distant voice could be heard coming from Roy's end. It must've been his boss telling him to get off the phone. "Um, Ike. Can't chat now, but just open that door. I guarantee you Marth's not going to poison your meals or set off a death trap in your room. See you at home." A digital click and the conversation died. Pocketing the device that would be his last hope of saving himself, Ike grabbed his keys and aimed for the lock. As the tip of the key was inserted into the hole, the door ripped open.

"EEP."

"...."

"....I mean. Good afternoon, Marth." The bluenettes stood by the doorway, looking eye to eye. Ike was the first to break the connection. "...How was your day?" He said, as if addressing the stucco next to his friend.

"Let's see... after a tiring nightshift, I come home to a gloriously empty apartment and take an hour nap. When I wake up, I find Roy giving me a devious smile, one that he doesn't give unless something embarrassing has happened, or he has something to blackmail me with." The senior turned, clearing the entrance and letting Ike take off his shoes to enter. "It turned out to be _both_. I realized his attention was on my head, which was decorated _beautifully..._" Marth cringed momentarily, as if trying to suppress his thoughts, "...with a lace garment fit for a _French maid_." Ike could tell the last few words were spat out with a bit of rage.

"...It suited you well." Marth turned his head back to Ike, providing him with the best glare he could muster. And hell, that was one deadly looking glare. _Oh Goddamnit Ike. He really needed to work on those social skills._

"Oh, I haven't even told you about the part where I got stares on the bus by schoolgirls." Marth rested a hand on his forehead, feeling a throb of pain when the memory of the ride came back to him. He's never going to ride that six thirty bus again.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Marth. It was just a little joke; I didn't mean to upset you so much." Marth turned to his roommate, who's brows drooped in a depressed fashion. The kicked puppy look was working.

"Just... " Marth was conjuring up a lesson to teach Ike, but found himself distracted by the other man's apologetic look. He sighed. Why did he have to be so _damn_ nice. "...Don't try it again."

Ike put his hand up, as if taking an oath. "If you promise you won't poison my food or design death traps for my room, I promise that jokes like this will never happen again. Not at your expense at least. And not from my doing."

"...Deal." They shook hands on the agreement. Marth stood up and headed back to his room, muttering something about 'being too old for this' and 'needing to sleep things off'. Meanwhile, Ike invaded the couch and turned on the TV, preparing himself for a relaxing afternoon of gaming. So his little plan of getting closer with Marth didn't work out. He still had other ways to learn more about his roommate. If he could land a nightshift from time to time, it wouldn't be so hard to bond with his friend.

The TV came on at full brightness and distracted him for a moment, so Ike hit the 'power' button for his Wii and let the thing load. The senior had not been fond of the idea. Thinking back to his first day at work, Marth had had a little outburst, insisting to Zelda that Ike should stay in morning and afternoon shifts only. What was so bad about nightshifts? Or rather, what was so _good _about them that Marth took all of Ike's off his hands? A message flickered on the screen, signalling the console was ready to entertain. He jabbed at a random button on his controller and continued contemplating.

_...If he could just land a nightshift..._

While the system loaded, he took out his phone again, smiling awkwardly at his wallpaper. If it meant he could see more of _this _side of Marth, then working in the evening wouldn't be that bad. In fact, he'd have to bring his camera to work.

::::

When the weekend rolled in, Roy hit the floor around noon as he slipped from the couch. He had a horrible habit of shifting about, and often found himself on the cold floor when he woke up. Marth simply watched with mild amusement from the kitchen table, glad to have the living room and kitchen connected in their complex. Who needs TV when you have a Roy. Ike sat next to him, a cup of milk in his hands as he continued to watch said Marth-deprived TV. The channel featured pointless Saturday morning cartoons, but they were soon blocked off by Roy's backside.

"....Wrut dime ish it." The youngest yawned during his speech, scratching his back and pulling up his pyjama pants to hide his boxers. He squinted at the clock on top of the TV, trying to make out the numbers on the seven-segment display.

"Twelve noon, sleepyhead. Care for lunch?" The redhead nodded as he turned, barely catching the chocolate-covered croissant that Marth tossed his way. With a pout at the first meal of his day, Roy took the seat in front of Ike, causing the bluenette to groan. No more pointless cartoons for him now that Roy's face was in the way.

"So as I was saying, Ike. Zelda's usually nice about giving the employees some food to eat. Just ask her for some baked goods from the back so you don't starve yourself next time." The senior took a bite of his own croissant, most likely brought home from Hyrule Cafe after yesterday's shift.

"I'll keep that in mind. I never see Zelda much anymore; every time I go to work, it's Sheik who's managing the shop." Ike sighed as Marth stopped nibbling at his food. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it upon second thoughts and finished the pastry.

"Hey guys, quit talking about work on your off-day. Besides, I have no clue what you're talking about when you bring up the cafe." Roy licked the chocolate off his finger tips, savouring the sweet taste. He wasn't a big fan of pastries or cakes or coffee, but he liked whatever food he was offered. "Oh, but speaking of work," Ike quirked an eyebrow at him for bringing up the subject again; Roy smiled back in a childlike manner. "I've got free movie tickets from my boss. If you've got nothing better to do today, we can all go watch a movie!"

"What's good anyways?" The question actually caught Roy off guard. Ike looked at him, expecting an answer. Roy chewed, swallowed, and then realized there really wasn't much worth watching as of late. Goddamnit.

"We'll know when we get to the theatres. You never know unless we check it out." Of course, those words were far from the '_anything to get you guys out of here to hang out_' he was thinking of.

"Which theatre are we going to then? I can just check online for all the movies and show times." Marth stood up and headed to his room, probably to retrieve his trusty laptop. It was times like these that Roy would feel humanity would be better off without hi-tech gadgets. The thoughts were easily dissolved with one look at his entertainment system. Oh, and his own laptop.

The screen lit up, with Marth looking to Roy for some response to his question. Roy simply scratched his head. "Don't ask so many questions in the morning... it hurts my head."

"It's noon."

"Same thing."

Marth simply surfed around, waiting for Roy to think up a movie they could watch. Summertime movies were often sappy romances, something that three men should _never_ watch in a theatre together, unless it was packed with comedy. Now that he thought about it, the last time he hung out with both his roommates was.... never. What a nice friend he was.

"Okay, I got it, Marth. Search up the new Pokemon movie that just came out, would you?" Roy happily proclaimed over the table. Ike just gaped, letting a drip of milk hitting the table's surface.

"Roy. I thought you were over that phase." Despite the look on Ike's face, Marth searched it up anyways. Roy just looked jumpy, as if he reverted to a ten year old, wiggling in his chair while humming the Pokemon theme song. Were he a foot or two shorter, Marth would've found it cute (okay, he did anyway).

Click. Click. Click. Voila.

"Looks like it started today. But if that's the case, the theatre is bound to be packed with children and the parents they drag along." Ike made a face at Marth's theory. He could never mix with children. Mist had told him how afraid of him they were. But so be it, he wasn't great with kids to begin with. Even as one himself, he had matured faster than the rest since he hung around adults from his father's company most of the time.

"I'll take my chances; let's get ready then, men!" The determined redhead marched towards a plastic bin in the corner of the living room, rummaging in search of a clean shirt and jeans. When he dug them up at last, his pyjama pants hit the floor quickly, revealing the once hidden red boxers with tiny swords patterned on top. Marth laughed audibly when he recognized them. His roommate's father always gave Roy the most hilarious presents.

"Damnit, Roy," Ike stood up and put his cup and plate into the sink. "Exhibitionists don't get paid, you know."

"Heh. You wouldn't be able to afford my shows if I went for this line of work." More fumbling, and the jeans were on. The boy went on to replace his wrinkled sleepwear with a purple shirt, decorated with some band's name. Knowing that this would be awhile, Marth packed up his laptop and stood as well, depositing the plate into the sink to be cleaned later. He slowly inched his way passed Ike, who's attention was still on Roy (but his thoughts were of course, on his taunts).

At that moment, Marth felt a slight pain when Ike's arms rose and elbowed him in the chest by accident. "W-what the...!" Ike's shirt hit to the floor, and what was left was nothing but the defined and well-toned muscle that the bluenette possessed. The sight immediately reminded Marth of the events a few days back. Accordingly, the blush made its way to his cheeks once more. _Damn show-off...!_

"If you want something to show, Roy, at least try to get some of these." Ike flexed his right arm, bulge evident at the bicep. A tiny smirk followed. "Don't you think people would pay more to see this?" Ike raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, imitating the animated looks of the Saturday morning cartoon characters from before. Roy held his stomach laughing at the act. Marth just shook his head as he stabled his balance after the unexpected 'attack'.

"Pfft! Guess what, Ike? I think more people would pay _generously _to see Marth in a dress than your muscles!" Roy pointed at Marth and continued laughing. When Ike looked back at Marth, another joke in mind already, he found his voice box to be broken. A rose red brushed the eldest' face, his features displaying at frown directed at Roy. With his arms in front and hands tightly gripping the laptop, his blue-haired roommate looked absolutely mortified. It made Ike's heart sink when he saw Marth in such a state.

Marth was mad.

...But one thought clouded Ike's mind.

_He looks ADORABLE._

"You're both dumbasses." Causing two jaws to drop, the senior made his way to his room, closing the door with more force than needed.

_....Sharp tongue, but he's still CUTE._

"W-we made him mad..." Roy sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to do. He could never handle an angry Marth. Ike sighed, picking up his shirt and putting it on once more.

"... You should apologize."

"And you?"

_Pause._ He thought back to Marth's version of an angry face. He sighed again (and scary enough, he did it almost happily from the memory).

"....After you, I will."

::::

Marth locked his door after kicking it closed. Setting the laptop on the bed, he fell in next to it, letting his sheets wrap him as if they were trying to comfort the man. The comment Roy threw at him repeated in his head, and for the umpteenth time in his life he wondered _why_ he never quit this job.

Zelda's talent was something to be embraced; he had supported her wholeheartedly even before he joined her crew. As one of his seniors in university, Zelda had been one of Marth's tutors while he struggled with his finals. She deserved his full respect as the most capable woman he'd ever met. Add owning a business to top that, she was someone Marth admired for not just her talent, but also her perseverance. He just didn't think he'd end up helping her out with his _body_.

"_Marth, I need your help. Even if it's only for one night...!" The sudden request made the blue-haired male pause. This sounded serious._

"_Anything within my power that I can do, I will do it. Ask away, Zelda." The two smiled. The elfin woman knew she could rely on Marth._

"_Thank you with all my heart, Marth! And honestly, only you can pull this off. I _know_ it." She paused, thought up her words carefully, then spoke again. "My cafe has always been doing just fine. But lately, I feel it lacks excitement, so I've thought up a way to change that, but I need your help!" Marth nodded, understanding the situation and waiting for further instructions from the brunette. "Please come by around five tonight, I'll tell you everything you'll need to know."_

"_You can count on me." The brunette sighed in relief. She'd been waiting for this chance, and oh how glad she was to have her friend agree to it._

From that day on, Marth heavily regretted those words he uttered. He also refused to believe how right Zelda had been.

Maid dresses.

China dresses.

Oh, and the dreaded schoolgirl uniform he put on once, but took off immediately when he found out the skirt was 'too short' (Peach didn't seem to mind taking up the uniform though).

The outfits never stopped coming since his first crossdressing experience. If only he decided to make himself look horrible that first day, Zelda wouldn't have wanted him back. Then he'd also never have met that... unpleasant man. That first day of work; Marth could still remember that white gown the persuasive woman had forced him to wear. Simply put, Zelda had him on display for the longest five hours of his life, by dressing him in women's sleepwear, and then leaving him sitting on that makeshift bed in the corner of the cafe.

"_Look pretty." Zelda instructed. Marth nodded, unsure how to do that in such an atmosphere. A few minutes ago, he fully expected to be changed into a waiter's outfit. Dress shirt, black pants, and black vest. That's what he expected. Now, he just looked like someone ready for a slumber party. The first customers for the night event arrived; Zelda clapped her hands together, ecstatic about going through with this plan at long last. "On second thought, look cute AND pretty. The guests will love it!" She grabbed the teddy bear on the 'bed' (which was just a table covered with fabric, plush dolls, and cushions) and tossed the stuffed animal into Marth's arms._

_Marth obeyed. Hugging the bear impulsively, he did what he was told. Looking cute meant occasionally nuzzling the teddy. Looking pretty meant falling into the cushions and stretching, occasionally posing._

_That was all he did, but within an hour the place was packed by curious guests who watched him with anticipating eyes. 'Awww's and sighs could be heard at every nuzzle. 'Eeee's pierced his ears every time he fell into the soft cushions. Whatever he did, the visitors were simply pleased with his actions. God, how did Zelda manage to set him up for this? Oh right, she asked._

_Throughout the night, customers would come up to him, compliment his attire, express their envy over his 'adorable' features, and/or ask to take some pictures. He refused any photography when asked, but he had a feeling some of the patrons would take his picture anyway, when he wasn't looking. There were others who asked him for advice on keeping his skin so pale. Naturally, he told them he didn't do anything special. Around the time the first man approached him, that's when he began to worry. Zelda and her head waitress were conversing with a few customers, preparing more orders as more guests arrived. One male, dark skinned and with brighter orange hair than any he'd seen before, stopped mere inches from Marth's 'bed'._

"_Um...Hi." The bluenette greeted the man out of courtesy. Or because he was afraid the tall and muscular man would punch him if he didn't._

"_Ganondorf." The man said, bending over to get a closer look at Marth._

"_What?"_

"_My name." He stood up straight again, towering over the boy with his height once more._

"_Oh uh. I'm Mar-" The student paused. Would it be wise to let people know his name...?_

"_MARTH! You can go on break now!" Peach yelled from across the cafe, obviously calling for him. Well. That just obliterated all concerns he had for his own privacy and security. Now everyone would know who this crossdresser at Hyrule Cafe was. If there were sheets on the fake bed, he'd be curled under them right about now._

"_I see... Marth..." The man stood, a hand on his chin in imitation of the 'thinking pose'. Marth couldn't help but back further into the cushions, and then to the wall behind them. The plotting look on the man--Ganondorf, was extremely unpleasant. Before Marth spoke again, he was handed a card. "If you ever decide to work some place else, give me a call." Ganondorf walked away after, slapped a few bills on his table to pay for his meal, and exited the cafe. When the door closed, Marth looked at the card, but Zelda snatched it up quickly._

"_Hmph. What nerve he has, trying to steal my star employee on his first day!" She folded the card roughly before tossing it into the nearby trash bin._

"_You know him, Zelda?" Marth was surprised. Why would his friend know such a strange man...? Zelda grumbled, not satisfied about having an association with Ganondorf._

"_He's... a relative, unfortunately." The owner shook her head, not wanting to remember that they were from the same bloodline. "He owns a place nearby; I suggest you never go."_

_The amount of dread in the woman's voice surprised her junior. He seldom saw her show distaste in people. "He can't be that bad, can he?"_

"_Marth." Zelda held both of Marth's shoulders, getting him to look right at her. "He owns a store called 'Brutes 'n' Lubes'. He was recruiting you." Marth looked puzzled, not quite following the brunette's explanation. "It's a sex store, Marth. He was trying to hire you..." Zelda went on only when Marth gave her a nod, signalling he was following this time. "He was planning to recruit you to star in gay pornos."_

_TWITCH._

_That man...wanted to hire him for WHAT!?_

"_Zelda, I think I'm going to leave now. This job seems a bit more dangerous than I thought." Marth rose from the bed, fully intending on running towards the backroom, were it not for the part of his night gown that Zelda caught just in time._

"_Marth..." Oh god. Please, not that voice. Not that look- Goddamnit, there was 'The Look'. Why did he look at her face... Zelda's brows skewed downwards; along with a wretched frown that Marth hated to see on her lovely features. Women just seemed to have the power to control men with repeated facial expressions; how does it work anyway? "Marth... you said you would help me through this... I've finally found the answer to livening this place up; you could at least see it through for the first night."_

"_B-but I honestly don't feel comfortable being such a piece of..." Just then, a customer at a nearby table waved flirtatiously at him. He winced but tried not to make a face. "A piece of eyecandy..." He leaned in closer to Zelda's ear, whispering the second part of his complaint. "It's not nice to feel like everyone's after my ass...! That ....Ganondorf!" This time Zelda made a face, "He surely thought up ideas on h-how to make use of it." The idea hurt a little when put into verbal speech, but it had to be told._

_Zelda patted Marth on the back. The poor boy must have been having those "dreaded first days of work". "How much do you pay in school fees, Marth?"_

"_God, Zelda, you know I barely get by eating properly with those outrageous amounts the school makes us cough up."_

"_That's why I'll give you a job here!" Marth looked dumbfounded for a moment. Sometimes he forgot that Zelda was the _owner_ of this business. "I'm graduating this year and will be spending my time managing this cafe, anyway. You're one of my good friends and at the moment, a valued employee! I have no reason not to hire you!"_

_The bluenette put a hand to his chin out of habit, indicating that he was thinking about the offer. Luckily for Zelda, the head waitress came as reinforcements. "Look honey," the blonde wagged a finger at Marth, instantly catching his attention. "Zelda loves making clothes, but sometimes the stuff she makes just isn't for her." The blonde proceeded to point to his nightgown. "Your wardrobe; just look at the detail! The poor thing spent all of yesterday making this in her office, but it took her till midnight to think of a subject suitable to wear it!" The explanation caused Marth to look down at the robe. The head waitress spoke truths. The fine embroidery of each flower detail could not have been done without a significant amount of time and effort. "Every artist needs their ideal models, dear."_

"_Oh, Peach. Please, let him decide on his own if he wants to stay. I'm not going to force him into something he truly wants no participation in." The brunette smiled softly at the younger. Marth swallowed hard upon seeing the serene look._

"_...Fine. I'll do it." Zelda thanked him multiple times after that, and as he headed back towards his 'display case', he heard a light clap from behind him._

_He could've sworn the girls exchanged a high-five._

::::

"I can't believe we ran away."

People had flooded to the local shopping centre, making loud noises, some with massive bags from their day of shopping. Ike and Roy stood amongst the crowd, maneuvering their way to the theatres. That's right; they went ahead without Marth.

Roy scratched his head furiously; he knew it was cowardly, but he preferred to use a tried and once succeeded approach when it came to an angry Marth. "I know you'll probably hate me for this Ike, but I've known Marth longer than you have." At this, Ike narrowed his eyes. "It's not that I'm not going to apologize to him, though. Don't worry about that. It's just... when it comes to Marth, you just have to give him time to think. I could say 'sorry' a thousand times just after I get him mad, and that prince of stubbornness wouldn't bat an eye!" Roy ruffled his own hair some more. "So you see, Ike. This way is for the best. We'll watch that Pokemon movie, go home, beg forgiveness from Marth, and be a happy...um. Family again!"

Ike winced. He'd rather not have to deal with Roy like family. They already fight enough as friends. Marth, on the other hand, was great to have around since he was the motherly type that took care of people. Roy being alive and walking was proof of it.

"I'm taking your word for this, Roy. But." At the next intersection, a sign indicated to shoppers to turn right if their destination was the theatres. "I am NOT watching a kids' movie with you. See you in three hours." Ike made a quick left, leaving Roy to his own childish fantasy world on the screens. Roy called out to him a few times, but gave up after the lack of response. Ike or no Ike, he was going to see that Pokemon movie!

::::

Roll. Flop. Roll back. Flop.

Marth was BORED. After the reverie he had of his first night of work, he realized he might've been a bit harsh towards Ike and Roy, who knew nothing about his nightshifts (he intended to keep it that way). He took out his cellphone and checked if he had anyone to call or arrange new plans with. The first name was Roy. He groaned aloud since he knew no one else was in the apartment. The second name seemed to be a better candidate though. Selecting the name from his digital phonebook, he hit the 'send' button.

::::

The shopping centre really wasn't Ike's favourite place to hang out. He never was the type to have particular likings of clothes, jewelry, accessories, and the likes. The only place he actually bothered visiting after abandoning Roy was the video game store, and even that was uneventful. He ambled with no destination in mind, merely looking about for the slightest thing that would catch his interests. When he passed by one of the clothing stores though, something indeed caught his eye. Or rather, someone.

"Link, which one do you think looks better, the blue or the red?" Zelda held up two dresses to her side, one in each hand. "The blue one gives a somewhat calmed feeling, but the red gives off a classy vibe. I just don't know which one to choose!"

The blonde man thought for a moment. Seeing as this was Zelda who was shopping, there were a few possible uses for the dress. "Who's wearing it this time...?" Zelda smiled. Link knew her so well.

"For everyone, " She held the blue dress against her frontal, looking in the mirror to see how nice the dress looked in another perspective. "But, mostly Marth." In the corner of the reflective glass, Zelda noticed a man with indigo hair. "Ike?"

Link turned to look behind him. The bluenette waved and came over to the pair, a slight look of relief on his features. "Hi, Boss. I'm actually surprised you're not at the cafe on a weekend." The woman laughed. It's true that she's been said to be a workaholic, but she needed her so-called breaks too.

"I may be shopping, but it really is for the cafe." She held out the dresses. "Blue or red, Ike?" Link looked at the other two in a bit of a confused fashion. By now he'd guessed that 'Ike' was one of Hyrule Cafe's employees, after hearing how he addressed Zelda.

"I vote red. It matches better with your hair." Zelda matched the red one on top of the blue one, seeing if what Ike had said was true. She nodded, and put the blue one on the nearest rack.

"I suppose red would be more fitting for the cafe, anyways. Plus, it does go well with blue." Pulling out her wallet, she went towards the cashier, leaving Ike with Link by the dressing rooms. Link looked to the taller man, then wiped his palms on his pant leg and extended it to Ike.

"Link. Pleasure to meet you, Ike." The men shook hands conventionally, Link almost wincing at Ike's stronger grip.

"You are... Zelda's boyfriend?" Link blinked. Boyfriend. It was a nice title. He might just keep it.

"That's not far from the truth, so sure, I'm Zelda's boyfriend." The blonde grinned at Ike's confused expression. He was obviously taken aback by how flexible Link was regarding his relation to Zelda. "So how long have you been working at the Hyrule? I don't think I've ever seen you at the cafe after all the years I've been going."

"Oh, you're a regular?"

"Yup. Been going since the day Zelda took over."

"Wow, I'm surprised I haven't seen you then. I work the morning and afternoon shifts on weekdays. It's been.... around two or three weeks since I've been working there"

"Ah. That's why." Link groaned a little, "I'm always at work during those times. I hardly even get to see Zelda; it's always Sheik. You'll see me only if you work the nightshifts." The shorter pointed towards Zelda, who was waiting for her credit card transaction to go through. "The red dress you just picked out is likely Marth's outfit next Friday night, actually."

"Ha ha, of cou-" _Wait._ The red dress he just picked out for Zelda... was for Marth!? "H-hang on, why would the dress I picked be something that Marth would wear?"

Link knitted his eyebrows together for a bit. "What do you mean? It's just that weekly female outfit that Marth gets to wear on Fridays. I'm sure you've heard about him wearing a few alre-" Link stopped. _Shit._ This guy doesn't know about the evening shifts of the famous Hyrule cafe!? "Oh. Um. I mean." The blonde wasn't sure what to do. Why did Zelda hide such an important aspect from this new employee? Ike looked with wide eyes to the informative male in front of him.

This was it. This was his chance to learn more about Marth and the cafe.

"LINK." The heavy bass in the way Ike uttered his name did NOT bode well. "I want you to tell me something that Zelda might be hiding from me." _Oh goddamnit_, thought Link. He really should've stayed the little introverted boy that spoke in ellipses were his words put into text. "Does Marth... dress like a girl during the nightshifts...?"

At this point, Link had a few ways around this. One, pretend he didn't know a thing, even though he gave away most of what he knew already. Two, lock himself in a dressing room until Zelda got back. Three- "LINK. Please. It's been bugging since the first day now as to why Marth doesn't want me doing nightshifts. Your help would mean a lot to me right now." ...Three, _answer the question properly_.

"...Promise me you'll tell not a soul about where you got this information. ESPECIALLY not to Sheik and Zelda." Ike nodded, though he didn't understand why Sheik knowing would be a bad thing. The manager just seemed uninterested in most things, most of the time. "Zelda... kind of wanted to liven things up for the cafe a few years back, so she figured having Marth dress up would be a great boost of excitement and fun at the cafe." In Link's peripheral, he could see Zelda returning to the dressing rooms with a bag. Better make this quick. "Well, it worked, and since then, every night has been dedicated to the staff wearing outfits that are a bit out there, with Fridays being the days that Zelda debuted a new outfit for Marth to crossdress in. Let's just say the customers adore him, no matter what gender or age."

"I'm back, boys. Sorry it took so long! The cashier was having so much trouble registering my discount." Link quickly offered to help Zelda carry the bag holding her new purchase, followed by the brunette thanking him. Ike watched the exchange thoughtfully, mind wandering elsewhere with the new details of the evenings at the cafe.

Fridays. The days that Zelda would put Marth into women's clothing.

God, his mind just ran with it. The imagery of Marth in those various outfits he saw on the women's side of the closet; the lace, the skirts, the stockings-- His head started throbbing, embarrassed by his own fantasies.

_This is wrong._

He must've been messed in the head...! Picturing your own roommate in such abnormal attire... He didn't understand what was wrong with himself! But deep down, Ike knew it. He wasn't ever going to admit this to Marth (not in this life), but there was one thing he knew so well that it was almost astounding he never saw it till now.

_Marth would look good in those outfits._ As for Ike, he would swallow up all pride and take up all accusations of being impure to say (though only to himself and in his mind) that he would _enjoy _the sight of a crossdressed Marth.

"Ike? Why are you just standing there? See something you like?" Zelda waved her hand in front of the man. Her employee quickly snapped out of it as a blur of peach invaded his vision. "Are you okay?" Ike nodded weakly, but when he noticed Link biting his lip behind Zelda, he figured a verbal response would be more effective.

"A-Ah, yeah. I'm fine. I was just... daydreaming. Haven't been sleeping well lately." The partial lie was enough to allow a sigh of relief from the woman. Oh, kids these days.

"I hope it's not from hours of gaming." Wow. His boss was good. "Those morning shifts are pointless if you're dozing at work!"

"Ha ha, maybe you could change me to those nighsh-" Ike slapped his hand to his mouth, trying not to invoke more images into his tainted mind. _Shit, too late. Incoming, maid Marth._

"What's wrong, Ike? Are you really okay?" Again, a nod from Ike, but the extra blush on his cheeks did not convince Zelda. "Oh, out with it, boy! You're anything but acting normal at the moment!" She closed her distance with the man, hand on his wrist to pull off his own muting 'device'. Link almost panicked when he saw the frustrated girl about to tear Ike's arm off, with good intentions or not.

"Z-Zelda. Leave him be! He was telling me he ate too much before running into us. I think he's just feeling bloated." The brunette looked back at her friend, then back to Ike, who's cheeks were their usual shade once more. She looked back at Link only to present him with an unpleasant expression.

"Link..." The blonde stiffened upon the look. _Eep. Zelda had him now. He absolutely could not stand that look of sadness on her face...!_ "I've known you since I was a child; did you think I wouldn't be able to tell when you were lying?"

Link opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it once more. He struggled, but the words finally came. "I-I'm sorry, Zelda!! It's just... um. I-I kind of told him about the nightshifts at your cafe and-" Zelda quickly looked back at Ike before Link could finish. Her expression was not unhappy nor was she mad at the tall male. In fact, she was delighted.

"R-Really!?" Her smile was so bright, Ike could've sworn she glowed. He subconsciously narrowed his eyes as if to block off the light radiating from his boss. "You know about the nightshifts now!? And about the outfits?" She had her other hand on his immediately, as if agreeing to a truce for a battle never started.

"Y-Yes. And Marth." Ike really didn't need to add that part in, but Zelda was so happy about his new-found knowledge. He felt it was natural to tell her everything else he knew like a child showing off to his teacher.

"Ohhhh! Link!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO-" Zelda hugged the elf-like boy, jumping up and down with him in her arms. Link dumbly accepted the offer and almost returned the favour, but the moment was short-lived.

"Link, well done! I've been dying to tell Ike! In fact, nightshifts were the main reason I hired him, but Marth wouldn't let me!" Ike fidgeted a bit. The woman's sudden burst of energy was quite remarkable. The crowds of people in the shopping centre started to avoid her and circled around to get by instead.

"Um, so why didn't he want me to partake in those shifts, anyway?"

The brunette laughed. "You're his roommate. Do you think he'd want you to know about his 'night life'?"

"....I guess not."

"Exactly." With a twirl on her heel, the lass marched off to find a spot on a bench. The two men followed as she took a notebook out of her bag and sat down. "So, Ike." She patted the spot next to her, signalling the male to sit. He did so obediently (while Link, with a bit of a pout, took the bench behind them and watched them over the backing). "Now that you know everything, none thanks to me – Remember that fact, I can't have Marth accusing me of breaking a promise – would you like to help me out?"

"Help you with what, first?"

Zelda turned to the page she was looking for in her notebook. "I want you to help me next Friday." She turned the book towards Ike, showing him the sketch she had drawn on the white page. "This," she pointed to one of two figures on a sheet. It was a fashion sketch of a girl with... a poncho and a dress? "This is Marth's Little Red Riding Hood outfit for next Friday. The red dress you picked is for this outfit."

"...." The student stared. The story of Little Red would of course involve...

"And this, Ike." Zelda redirected his attention to the second sketch. Brown fluffy ears with a matching tail and tattered clothes. It didn't take a genius to see where this was going. "This will be you next Friday. You'll play the wolf alongside Marth. It'll be perfect!"

A wolf. He was going to be the wolf!? "....Does this mean you're giving me a nightshift?"

With an angelic smile of approval, "Yes, Ike. I want you to help me next Friday, evening shift. Be sure to give me your measurements tomorrow so I can get started at once," the owner of Hyrule Cafe patted her new model on the back. "Will you do it?"

The suppressed illusions of his feminine senior rose again. Ike didn't even bother to hide his enthusiasm this time around.

"I'll do it!"

Screw his pride. He had a Little Red Marth to see.

::::

To be continued in Chapter 4. : D

Apologies for the long wait. Hope you liked the extra long chapter! Happy New Year! Now, back to work on that game.

~Fhal


	4. Bashing Heads

See You At Work

Warnings: For those uncomfortable with the thought of crossdressing (dressing up like the opposite sex), please do not read further.

Disclaimer: The usual.

::::

iv.

[Yes, you're still reading about a lovely crossdress cafe. This is not a baseball fic.]

::::

The day, despite the rough start, was quite enjoyable for Marth. After the 'pests' of his apartment left their home, Marth really didn't think his mood would lift so quickly after the unprovoked teasing.

Luckily for him, Samus always knew how to wipe away the past with a little fun--

_WHAM!_

Ouch. That looked like it hurt a hell of a lot.

"Ness! I've told you before; DON'T SWING SO HARD OR YOU'LL KNOCK YOUR BRAINS OUT!"

The boy on the field was crouched over at the batting plate, holding his head from the collision it had with the metal bat. His teammates had gathered around him, more so to see the damage he'd caused himself than out of worry. Marth, who was watching from the sidelines, felt quite sorry for the little boy.

"Just trying to get the most out of my swing, Samus!" The boy yelled back at his coach. The woman grumbled, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Well, start using your legs and hips, why don't you? The teams not going to wait for you at the hospital." Samus huffed, shooing the children away from Ness and pulling him up to his feet.

"I'm fine!" The star player smiled, but with the slight pat from Samus on his head, his expression quickly faded into a scowl.

"Nice try kid. Go grab an icepack from the cooler and sit on the bench."

"Aw...." The child marched on reluctantly, sitting himself next to Marth.

The blonde coach blew her whistle. "Alright, everyone! Back to batting practice!"

The team filed away to their usual positions and continued their routine, sans one black haired boy. Marth smiled. It was great to see so many high spirits out on the field. To be honest, when he phoned that second name in his phone directory earlier, he really didn't know what he was doing.

_'Hello?' The call went through, and the voice at the other end was fazed out a bit by the background noise._

_'Samus? It's Marth.'_

_'Oh! What's up, Marth? I haven't heard from you since school ended!' _

_'Ha ha. I know. I apologize for that; I've been busy with work now that I'm doing full-time for the break.'_

_'You and me both, actually. I'm busy coaching the local kids' baseball team. They're a handful individually but make complete chaos when put together.' In the background, sounds of cheering could be heard._

_'Are you with them now?'_

_'Yup. Saturday's practice day. These kids can't really make it any other day anyways.'_

_'True, true.'_

_'So what are you up to?'_

_'Nothing much; just felt like talking to someone sane and logical.' Marth sighed. He missed school. Samus was a friend from university and was in all his classes. She was a wise person (a kind different from Zelda) and was probably the most normal person he knew (outside of her insane athletic abilities, of course)._

_'I see. Bored and decided to call me, huh?'_

_'Guilty. But it's always great to chat with you.'_

_'Well, I can't for long. The kids keep hollering at me for god knows what. I'm trying to block them out, but they make the most ridiculous gestures to get my attention, in front of their parents too!'_

_'Sure sounds like a lot of fun though.'_

_'......You wanna see?'_

_'Hm?'_

_'The practice. You should come by! Doesn't sound like you have anything better to do, anyways.'_

_'....Sure. Why not.'_

_'Perfect. You can be our ball boy!'_

_'Hey!'_

_'Just go to the campus field. Call me when you get here~'_

Marth had forgotten how it was like as a kid. A part of him felt so old, watching parents cheer their kids on at practice, no matter what their child did wrong. More importantly, the fact that the parents were actually there made his heart feel a little warm. He looked beside him at the boy. Ness was now trying to balance the icepack on his head with no hands.

"You know, it works better if you hold it still on your soon-to-be bump." The boy turned, dropping the icepack onto his lap.

"Well, it's funner this way." Within moments, the boy was back to playing his little game again.

"So your name is Ness?" This time the boy was smart and didn't turn. He looked forward, but it didn't stop the icepack from dropping once more.

"How'd you know-- Are you a fan?" Ness smiled. A fan! He knew he'd have at least one by now!

"W-what? No no, you have it wrong. I just heard Samus call your name not long ago."

"Oh." The boy's expression fell. _He was so sure too..._

Marth couldn't help but laugh. The kid was just so enthusiastic...! It'd be fun to humour him a little. "But... it's only my first time watching a practice. Who knows, maybe when I see you play a proper game, I may just become one."

_PLOP._

The ice bag fell to the ground. Ness stood up so abruptly that he not only shocked Marth, but a few other audience members as well.

"So, you'll become my fan if you see me play!??" Ness scooted closer to Marth, almost causing the adult male to be pushed back. He looked into Ness' big round eyes....._Were those sparkles?_

"Um. Sure, but only if you play well." The white teeth that Ness showed with that peachy grin could've blinded Marth.

"I always play well! The team never has to fear when I'm up for batting!" Small child, big ego. If he were older, the kid could've been Roy's best friend. ".......What's your name, anyways?"

"Oops. Forgot to introduce myself." Marth pointed to himself. "I'm Marth. I'm a friend of Samus."

"Nice to meet you, Marth! You're gonna be my number one fan soon!" Ness continued to smile, obviously hyped about this new fanbase.

"You mean first fan."

"Same thing." ......Yup. He definitely could've been best friends with Roy.

The whistle blew again, and the team gathered around Samus. Ness hopped off the benches and joined in as well. "Okay, good practice, team! Now, we've got a game coming up in a little less than two weeks! Are we ready for it?"

"YEAHHH!!" The children cheered. Samus smiled proudly. The parents in the back applauded, feeling the same pride the coach felt.

"Alright! I've already got the line up ready, and don't worry, no one's going to be left out." She flipped her notepad till she found the right sheet. One by one, she listed off the names of each team member, followed by the positions they would play. The children were silent as they anxiously waited for the news delivered by the blonde woman.

"Oh, and Lucas! I'm going to have you pitch in either the second or third inning." The team looked to a shocked young boy. He was practically shaken from the decision.

"W-what!? B-but.... Coach Aran.... We all know that Nana and Popo do the best job in getting those batters out!"

"And.... We know that we shouldn't always rely on the same people for the same things over and over again! Understood? It's just to try it out, and I've seen you pitch. You're not bad at all!"

The compliment had Lucas red from ear to ear. He looked around his team, and seeing no disapproving looks, he nodded quickly, determined to do his best.

"That's everyone's positions. Don't be afraid to bug me if you have any problems with this, kids." The noise level went up again, but Samus waited patiently to regain the attention of the young. "I'll see you all next Saturday!"

The uniformed kids all said their goodbyes, running off to head home with their parents. Marth rose from the bench, slinking through the leaving crowd to reach Samus. Surprisingly, Ness got to him first.

"Did you hear?!" He ran right into the man, causing Marth to wince ever so slightly. He forgot what balls of energy children could be.

"About the game? Of course. I mean, Samus had just ranted on it for about ten minutes."

Ness laughed, but his expression turned a little more serious. "I'm going to prove myself in that game, Marth. And you're gonna become my fan, like you promised!"

_Promise? Was there ever such a promise?_ Guess it didn't hurt to take part in a fan club.

"_If_ you play well, Ness," Marth placed a hand to his chest, just above his heart, "I promise to become your loyal fan."

".....Wow, so serious." Samus approached the 'men', a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. Most of the children had gone off accordingly, either with their parents or walking home in packs. "Ness, are you ready to head home?"

The star player shook his head. "Mom... said she couldn't come pick me up today but..." He grinned brightly at the coach. "I'll stay and wait."

His optimism could only bring a sigh out of the head of the team. This wasn't the first time. She looked at Marth in the eye. When the bluenette got what she was thinking of through her trouble expression, he nodded in affirmation. Samus took a seat on the bench. "We'll wait with you till your mother comes then."

::::

"Ike!!"

Ike walked on pretending not to have heard a thing, despite his travel companions stopping to see a cheerful redhead. Zelda recognized the boy, but she had trouble recalling his name.

"Hey Ike, someone's calling for you-"

"I hear nothing." Ike cut off the blonde abruptly. There were some things he had learned to ignore after living with Roy: _Never_ let him bring up Pokemon with you.

"IKEEE!!!!!!" The shout was so loud that half the crowd around them jumped at its intense volume. Oh, if only this boy had chosen Opera as his career path; he'd make millions from the fortissimo marked on all his words. Ike covered his ears and dashed for the nearest exit. Zelda had seen it coming though; she grabbed at the man's broad shoulder tightly before he could escape.

"Ike, your friend is needing of your attention. It's rude to ignore him." If she wasn't his boss, he'd be tempted to say '_Yes, mother.' _Roy arrived mere inches from him a short moment later. The redhead thanked the kind woman that had saved him a chase down the mall's parkade.

"You just missed the best animated movie of the decade, Ike!" Ike groaned. _Here it comes...._ "I've never seen so many Eevee evolutions together in my life!"

"Oh? You said that last time."

"I say a lot of things. I mean it this time though! They formed a Pokemon rainbow!" If Ike had any less restraint he would've decked Roy while the crowd continued to stare at the pair. Of course, in the taller's mind, the audience would applaud and praise his job well done. But thanks to common sense and social awareness, Ike walked on, letting the rant of imaginary pocket monsters fill his ears from behind.

"...And then, out of no where, Jolteon leads with Pikachu onto the screen and....." Zelda and Link watched as Ike led his friend away. The bluenette was polite enough to wave good-bye to his boss and her "boyfriend" though.

::::

Samus groaned. Sometimes, kids were far too goody-goody for her tastes. She carried Ness over to her car, the boy having claimed to feel "dizzy" not long ago.

"It's because he didn't ice it properly, that dumb kid." She was referring to the child's slight head injury. Marth looked at the paling boy, worry filling him quickly.

"Where will you take him?"

"Well, home, of course. I know his address after all. The kids all have to provide me with this information in case of emergencies!" She let the boy crawl his way into the backseat of her sedan. "Marth, could you find his name in that binder in the trunk? I'm gonna give his mother a call."

Marth did as told, retrieving the black binder and searching up the young man's name. Let's see......... oh, there he was. "Here. It's at the bottom of the sheet." He stood outside the car while he waited for Samus to call.

"Oh, he just feels dizzy after hitting his head... don't worry, ma'am, I'll bring him home safely..... Mmhmm... see you later then!" Upon the beep sound, Marth quickly turned back to his friend to hear the news. "She's going to rush home, but chances are we'll beat her to it."

"How far is his house from here?"

"Hm.... I'd say about fifteen minutes. He lives kind of close to you, actually. I'll give you a lift too."

"That'd be great, thanks." Marth almost hit his head as he got in when Samus started the car. The clunker shook so much, the boy in the backseat must've been feeling worse from the vibration.

"Seat belts, please. This isn't going to be a smooth ride."

::::

Ike opened the door to their flat and let Roy in. Link and Zelda went back to the cafe, leaving Roy and Ike with public transport to get them home. Thankfully, during the bus ride, Roy had finished his Pokemon summary and was now calmed down again. His obsession of Pokemon just couldn't be grasped; you'd see the cheerful redhead as a normal, sane college student who looked a tad young for his age. However, mention Pokemon, and that image would shatter and leave you with a tall ten year old.

"Marth! We're home!" Roy called out after taking off his shoes. There was no response. "Marth?"

"Maybe he's asleep." The apartment was not lit, so there must've been no activity out in the living room for awhile as it was getting dark. The two peeked into the university student's room. No lights, no Marth.

"... The good thing is his stuff's still here. Otherwise we'd have to pay more rent if he runs off." Ike gave Roy a pointed look for the not-so-funny joke.

"I'll give him a call."

"Put it on speaker, I'd like to talk to him too."

Ike flipped open his cellphone just as Roy looked over his shoulder.

"!?"

When Ike realized what he had done, he quickly hit the phonebook button out of panic. He froze for a bit when his directory was displayed. Roy didn't make a sound. Cautiously, Ike turned to see Roy's reaction.

His roommate's eyes were wide, but there was one thing he didn't like.

The _smirk _on Roy's face.

It was too late. He saw _it_. He saw Ike's _wallpaper_.

"A-ah. It's not what you think Roy-"

"......Aw, Ike. You should've told me you liked Marth!!"

Ike was in shock. _How...How could he make such a huge mistake...!_ He was usually careful with keeping secrets, but he hadn't expected Roy to actually look at his screen._ There wasn't even a point to look at his screen; he was just dialing!_ But sadly, it was Roy that he was dealing with. The man was known to be unpredictable.

"W-wait Roy. I um....... It's just not what you think!" Ike wasn't sure how he was going to explain his way out of this one, but if Roy's growing smirk was any indication, his was doing it wrong.

"Oh? What am I thinking, Ike?" Ike glared, inaudibly saying 'I hate you' to Roy.

"Look, you took a good photo, and I decided to use it as my wallpaper. That's it." Ike sighed and lowered his forehead into his palm. He watched Roy's expression; it wasn't changing, the _stupid smirk_ was still there!

"Ha ha, Ike. I'm not going to deny that it's a good picture," Roy swiped at Ike's phone swiftly, managing to catch the other male off-guard. "I'm just saying... that for you to set _this _picture as your wallpaper, you must like the individual in said picture quite a bit, am I right?" Roy flipped the phone open again, but Ike shut the cover roughly onto Roy's thumb, causing the redhead to flinch in pain. "That's not nice."

He returned the phone to the violent male. "Roy, it's just a picture. It's the same as how you set fictional pretty girls as your phone's wallpaper, just that mine happens to be a pretty picture of our roommate."

"Ah, Ike. You do realize what you just said right."

"..........Shut up."

"Oh, and Ike. I set fictional pretty girls on my phone because I think they're pretty. You just said you use a pretty picture of our roommate. Does that mean you think Marth is pretty too?"

".............." He didn't think it'd be so hard to talk himself out of this one. Roy was clever when he needed to be, though Ike wished he was a dumbass right now.

"Give it up, Ike. As the photographer of your wallpaper, I know well enough what how you feel about the picture." Roy slid his own phone open, searching through his album to find the picture again. "Marth looks like a _girl_ in this picture. I think it's safe to say that you're now attracted to him."

_...Roy got him this time._ "...I guess I am. Just... a little." Roy nodded, satisfied at the conclusion announced by Ike.

"Do you feel like telling me about it? I mean, we're not sappy romantic girls, but I'm here for you, man. Anything you need help with in claiming our little Marth's heart, I'm willing to assist!"

"Er. Thanks Roy. But I'm not going to tell you about my _tiny_--" He had to emphasize the word to make things clear "-- attraction to Marth."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, Ike." Roy quirked an eyebrow suddenly, noticing something he hadn't asked about before. "Where'd the headdress come from anyways?"

"Work."

Roy started to laugh. "Does this mean your uniform at work is..." He had to stop himself from laughing harder; the image was just too funny, "...a maid dress?"

"WHAT? NO!" _Unless it was Marth on a Friday!_

Roy kept laughing, holding the sides of his stomach. _Ike as a maid! _God he'd have to remember to bring this up come Halloween.

"Roy, have you even been to our cafe?"

"Ha ha! No way, Ike. I can't take coffee. Plus, Marth brings back stuff from work anyways; why should I have to pay for something I can get at home?" The man pondered for a second though. "But, if you tell me there _are_ maids at your cafe, I'll rush over right away!"

"Whatever. Are we going to call Marth or what?" Ike flipped his phone open again, almost wanting to stare at his wallpaper for a bit. He'd admitted to himself that he found crossdressing Marth to be cute, but he never said anything about being attracted to him in a romantic sense...!

"Oh, right! Go ahead. I promise no peeking at your background this time." Roy smiled as Ike jabbed the 'send' button.

::::

"Thanks for the lift, Samus." Marth got out, waving goodbye to the blonde. Samus was right about the not-so-smooth ride. "And you Ness, rest well and try not to hurt yourself next time." The kid nodded, managing to say a soft 'goodbye' to the sole member of his soon-to-be fanclub.

"Make sure you drop by the field in a few weeks for the game. Of course, it's nice if you could find time to come see the kids practice too."

"Thanks. I'm not sure about practices, but I'll see the game for sure."

The blonde smiled and drove off to get Ness home. The bluenette's cellphone started ringing when he reached the entrance to his building.

"...Hello?"

"Marth! Where'd you go?" It was Ike, and in the background he could just make out Roy. "We're sorry about earlier today." There was some thumps from the other side.

"...Sorry Marth! I didn't mean to poke fun at you. It was just because you're.... man-pretty!"

"Uh."

_THUD._

"OW WHAT WAS THAT FOR--" Marth held his phone away from his ears. Ike wasn't very satisfied with the apology. Marth let the sounds run for a bit, and when it seemed the other end had settled their little dispute, he put the phone to his ear again.

It was Ike again. Roy was banned from this conversation now after the odd remark. "......Just..... We're sorry. We like you, Marth. We weren't trying to hurt your feelings." In the background, it sounded like Roy laughed and said something along the lines of 'we love you not like'. Ike grumbled a quick 'shut up Roy'.

Marth laughed. "Don't worry about it. I overreacted too. Anyways, I was just out with a friend. Do me a favour and open the door, I'll be up in a minute."

"Alright, see you later then."

Ike buzzed Marth in, and after a few flights of stairs, he was home.

"Marrtthhhh!!!" Roy tackling him at the doorway was something he didn't expect. But down he went, and the two of them hit the door, slamming it closed.

"Roy, get off him." The tallest of the three yanked the shortest off. Marth stood up again, dusting himself off. When he tried to enter the living room though, Roy was sitting on his own feet at the doorway, blocking his path.

"Marth, I'm sorry! I really am!" He bowed his head, forehead touching the hardwood floor. "It wasn't meant to be an insulting remark! I'm sorry if you thought it was! Don't leave us!" Ike just watched; Roy wasn't kidding when he said he was going to _beg_ forgiveness from Marth.

"R-Roy, don't do that. Stand up." Roy stayed where he was, forcing a sigh out of the oldest. "I forgive you, now get up and let's all eat dinner." This time Roy rose with a smile, glad to be on his senior's good side again. As the oldest walked on, he made eye contact with Ike.

"Um..... Welcome back."

Marth smiled sweetly. "Thanks. Now help me wash the vegetables."

"Yes sir."

::::

_"Be sure to give me your measurements tomorrow so I can get started at once."_

That's the task that Zelda had left Ike for Sunday. Ike may have agreed to the job without much thought, but he'd never had anything tailored for him before and had no clue how to get started. Roy always woke around noon, meaning the apartment would have a much quieter tone to it until then. Marth was locked away in his own room, either sleeping or reading his numerous books at ten in the morning.

"Let's see... Measurements.... How do I even get those." Besides his shoes size, everything he bought was usually sized Medium or Large. He was pretty sure that wasn't enough for Zelda to make his costume. The best thing to do was to call the boss herself and ask exactly what she wanted.

He pressed 'send' on his phone when 'Hyrule Cafe' was selected from the directory.

"...Hello?" A young voice answered, one that most likely belonged to Pit.

"Hi. This is Ike. Is Zelda in today?"

"She is, but we've got a crowd right now so she's kinda busy at the coffee machine. Some tourists just dropped by in a pack! Wanna leave a message or is it quick?"

"Ah, it should be quick. I just wanted to ask her how do I get my measurements..."

Pit snickered on the other end. "Oh, that's easy Ike! Just take your BWH measurements with measuring tape! Oh, I'll see you tomorrow, need to serve some cakes. Bye!" And the line went dead.

Ike sat on his bed, nodding to himself. _BWH. Yup. That's all I need._

He then proceeded to use an internet search engine to figure out _what_ BWH meant.

"So.... Bust, waist, and hip. I can do that." But Pit had mentioned that they needed to be taken with measuring tape. _How does that work anyways?_ He really should've paid more attention when Mist sewed doll clothes back at home. Sometimes a bit more knowledge on what women did was a very good thing to have. He headed to the living room, knowing that one of the toolboxes in the corner had his measuring tape. He hadn't touched it since he moved in though, so it must've been near the bottom. Sighing, he started his rummaging with the first of three toolboxes. Roy turned over to face his bed (couch)'s backing, smothering the noise with his pillow.

::::

Marth sat at his desk, reading the local news on his laptop. _Oh, there's an article about the children's baseball league games that Ness was a part of!_ There were mentions of all the districts involved, some information about the league for parents... and the game days! He decided to keep print off a copy of the game day calendar, just to show his support on the right days for Samus' little team.

Control-click. Print.

He could hear the large printer in the living room running. The three of them had decided one networked printer was enough, so it was shared amongst them and left where everyone could access it. When he went out to retrieve the sheet, he saw Ike crouched in the corner, looking through some cases.

"...You need something?" Ike looked back to see his roommate.

"Morning, Marth."

"Morning. What are you looking for?"

"Hmm. Measuring tape."

"....Are you building something?"

"Nope."

"Uh...buying a new TV for us?"

Ike laughed. "You wish."

"Then why do you need measuring tape?"

Ike stopped hunting for a second, choosing his words wisely. "Zelda just said she needed my measurements. Not a lot of clothes at work fit me." Partial-lie, but it would do. He didn't want Marth to find out about his extra shift on Friday.

"She's going to make you something?"

"Possibly."

".....You need to measure yourself then?"

"Yup."

"......Ike. You know the measuring tape in the toolbox isn't for that purpose, right?" The man must've confused the flexible plastic measuring tape with the retractable metallic tape rulers.

"I don't know. I've never had anything tailored for me before." Ike stood up, abandoning the search now that it was pointless. "How do I get my measurements then?"

"Hmm... Let's go to my room; I think I have what you're looking for lying around." The taller followed Marth into his quarters, right across from Ike's room. The organized male's room was the cleanest in the place. Everything was orderly and tidy; a huge contrast to the living room that doubled as Roy's bedroom, and Ike's which was filled with his clothes and electronics (plus, Roy's large backpack could often be found in Ike's room as the two studied together). Marth pulled out his desk drawers, searching in each one before he came across his white measuring tape.

"Here we are!" He passed it to Ike, who looked at it not knowing what to do. ".....You wrap it around yourself to measure."

"O-oh." _Let's see......Bust first._ Ike wrapped the plastic around his chest, not sure if he was doing it right. Marth was watching him; he hoped he wasn't making a fool of himself.

After fumbling, Ike took his reading..."Um. My chest can't be 100, right."

Marth almost spat when he burst out laughing. "Not even Hercules could get that!! Here, I'll do it for you. It'll save us both some time." The shorter took the tape from Ike. "Now, is this a outfit kind of loose or does it have to be precise and made to fit you like a glove?"

Ike thought back to the drawings Zelda showed him. "Probably would look better if they were precise."

Marth nodded. "Okay then. Take off your shirt."

......_Did he hear that right?_

"Er. Why."

"Your shirt adds a bit to your measurements, so it's more accurate if you take it off."

Ike complied. He was proud of his muscle anyways. "Sure you're not just trying to see what's under my shirt?" he joked.

"......Nah. Seen it enough times." Ike was always coming out of the shower with no shirt on. Being in a place with only men meant they all had a few more privileges. "You're just always seeking opportunities to show them off, aren't you?" Marth recalled the show-and-tell from yesterday.

The tall man threw his shirt onto Marth's bed. "Gotta make the most of what I have. So, what do I do now?"

"Raise your arms a little; I'll get your bust measurement first." Marth took the tape measure in his left hand, and as he approached Ike, the other man's cheeks grew a little red. Marth wrapped his arms around Ike in the process, and for a few short seconds while the shorter was trying to grab the tape with his right hand as well, Ike could feel his heart jump out from his chest. It felt (and looked) like Marth was hugging him.

But Marth soon claimed the flexible device in both hands, securing it around Ike's bare chest. Reading it off quickly, he wrote the measurement onto a piece of paper. As he slipped the tape down lower to the waist, Ike jumped. Marth just assumed he was cold. Take the reading and jotting it down again, he lowered the tape wrapped around Ike once more.

"Hmm." He needed more space to get this one. "Pardon the harassment, Ike."

"Wha--" What happened next was _completely_ unexpected. Marth had taken hold of the waistband of Ike's shorts, pulling them down a bit, enough to show part of his boxers.

Ike froze, not sure how to respond as Marth measured his hips. The older bent over slightly as he read the reading where the tape overlapped. Ike's eyes went wide when he realized where exactly the tape _had_ overlapped.

"Oh oops. I have the wrong end of the tape." Relief washed over Ike momentarily as Marth moved his hands away from in front of him to rotate the plastic measuring device. However, he wasn't happy about Marth changing his posture. While the shorter male re-adjusted the tape, he got on to his knees.

Ike almost bolted from the room. _Does Marth not realize what he's doing...!?_

"M-Marth. Uh." Somehow, this looked a felt _very wrong_.

"Give me a sec, Ike. I'm almost done." Marth wrote down the last measurement on the sheet and stood up to hand it over to Ike. "There, here's your three measurements. You're pretty fit!"

Ike thanked his roommate speechlessly, heading back to his room. Marth, a little confused when Ike shut the door to his room with a slam, went back to the living room to grab his print-out.

"Morning, Marth~" Marth jumped. In front of him stood a very energetic Roy; way too energetic for a Sunday morning.

"Did you win the lottery...?"

"What-- no."

"Why are you up then? You're _never _up this early on weekends."

"Oh, nothing~ Just figured I'd wake up to watch some favourite shows of mine~" The way Roy spoke started to creep out Marth. Perhaps he was still hyped over the movie he saw yesterday.

"...Okay. You go do that."

"Yup~" A shiver went down Marth's spine as he walked back to his room. He shut the door in case Roy said something again.

Roy, happy with how his day started out, changed openly and plopped down on his couch (bed) again. He took out his phone and figured he needed to send a highly important mail out.

::::

"... Ugh." Ike could feel his legs getting weak.

_'......Aw, Ike. You should've told me you liked Marth!!'_

Roy's words from last night flooded his mind again. And just now, in that situation, he couldn't help but feel an odd vibe from it all. When Marth knelt in front of him like that, the older's hands dangerously close to his sensitive regions, he swore he was going to _lose it._ He leaned back on the door, hissing from the cold.

...His shirt was still in Marth's room.

"Forget it. I'm not going back there..." He muttered to himself. He's been having all sorts of problems figuring out how he thought of Marth lately. Ever since he started at the cafe, he's been noticing his roommate more and more. Nevermind that said roommate is a crossdresser on Friday nights; he'd been noticing things like how slender his friend was, how long his lashes were, how pale his skin was... It just didn't make sense how up until now, he never once thought about such things before. Now he was blushing like a schoolgirl from a little odd contact and promising his boss to put on a costume at night to see his buddy dressed like a _girl._

He wasn't even going to laugh at Marth; he _wanted_ to see it. The picture Roy took must've set something off in him, because Ike was looking _very_ forward to seeing his roommate in a dress. Live and in person._ Ahhh I'm just looking forward to it because he looks nice in it!_ That was his best excuse, at least.

Amidst his confusion with the self-arguing in his head, his cellphone started to rattle on his desk.

_A message from....Roy? What the hell, he's right outside...!_ Regardless, he opened up the mail in his inbox anyways.

_'Ike, congratulations! You sure move fast. ;D'_

Ike didn't like the emoticon at the end there. He opened the attachment.

"!?"

It was a photo of him in the same attire he was now; shirtless with only his shorts and boxers on. He was facing away, but without a doubt, you could see Marth positioned in front of him, kneeling with his hands placed where Ike's--

"ROYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!" He didn't even notice Roy was right there when Marth was taking his measurements!_ That angle...!!! It looked like he and Marth were- _"YOU'RE DEAD!!!!"

::::  
::::

Author's Note:

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! They're an unbelievable driving force of this story; the feedback has been wonderful! As for you silent readers out there, please, don't be afraid to give me a piece of your mind. I'm quite open with comments, questions, and critiques, and often take them to heart when I write my next chapters. I also have to thank those of you who messaged me along the way to push me forward and keep writing. I admit, this fanfic isn't a top priority for me a lot of times. You'll have to forgive me if and when I forget about updating.

Where's the much anticipated Friday nightshift? Next chapter(s), my dears.

~Fhal


	5. Gossip Friendly

See You At Work

Warnings: For those uncomfortable with the thought of crossdressing (dressing up like the opposite sex), please do not read further.

Disclaimer: The usual.

A/N: Another chapter has finally released; I'm sorry for the long waits that seem to be the norm as of late... Game plot development and personal reasons have kept my hands tied. But I have to thank everyone for your [forced] patience! Your reviews and favourites are constant yet welcomed reminders of why I should work hard on my stories!

:::::

v.

:::::

Zelda happily walked out of her office to give herself a stretch. She had done it again; two outfits finished in one night! Oh, was she proud. Tilting her head left and right to work out some kinks, she spotted her blonde friend by the hallway entrance.

"All done, Zelda?" Peach held a tray with a cup of tea on it. She walked over to offer the drink to the boss.

"Thanks," A sip. "I'm glad I went out and just bought the inner dress for Marth's outfit. The details on Ike's really took awhile."

Peach nodded, smiling happily as Zelda finished the rest of the tea. But the silence led her to repeat what Zelda said in her head. "...Why are you making one for Ike? He never works Friday-" Zelda smiled mischievously while Peach gasped. "No way! Zelda? Really! You convinced Ike to work with Marth!"

"To be honest, I barely did any convincing at all; the boy seemed more than happy to help me with this Friday's nightshift."

"...Did you show him his outfit... and tell him about Marth?"

"Straight and forward. He agreed in less than a second!" Zelda giggled while she placed the cup back onto Peach's tray.

"That's... quite cute, actually."

"I know; it's as if Ike really wants to see his roommate as a girl."

Peach could no longer hold back her excitement. "Aww, does he have a crush on our little Marth?"

"You know, that's the same conclusion I came to when I saw how determined he was when he agreed. I guess I'm just opening up a path for him to through this nightshift...?"

"Well, he's in for a treat. I used to be really surprised at how gorgeous Marth looked when crossdressing! But now, it's just the most natural thing about him. I mean, I'd give quite a lot to have his waist size." Peach could recall the many outfits she and Zelda have put the young male into. The recent Chinese qipao was by far her favourite. She was glad Zelda took her suggestion to show off the man's legs.

"Anyways, want to see my latest product?" The boss ushered the blonde into her office, presenting the two newly made outfits to her staff.

Peach blinked.

Zelda smiled even more.

"This... Oh my." Forget containing her excitement, Peach needed to fan herself now as her imagination let loose.

"I'm planning to welcome our newest nightshifter in the best way possible."

"Zelda, you're too clever. You really have to be careful though; it'd be bad if some of the customers thought our boys were for sale."

Zelda stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry, I'd never stoop to Ganondorf's levels. But did you see the muscles on Ike when he carries our daily supplies into the kitchen?"

"Two words, my friend: 'Nice body'."

"Couldn't agree more, dear Peach."

The girls continued to converse in the back, coming up with some interesting ideas for this coming Friday night. Meanwhile, Pit busied himself with all the orders he was getting, unsure what happened to the other staff member, but also not having enough time to find out as the cafe front was left only to him.

:::::

Thursday made Ike extremely nervous. His noon to eight shift was the same as Marth's, and there was an odd silence as soon as the two left the house together, bags in hand. While Marth was natural in all his movements, Ike was stiff with all of his.

The bus came, and the ride to work saw no words exchanged between the two. Marth had tried to initiate conversation, but Ike shut his eyes the moment he got on the bus.

_'Guess he's tired... Must be the late night gaming again._' Still, it was rare to see Ike actually sleeping on the bus. Surprisingly, when they reached their stop, Ike woke on his own accord and didn't seem fatigued at all. He dashed off the bus and into the cafe, leaving Marth to thank the bus driver as he followed behind.

"Right on time, Ike; Marth." Sheik sat at one of the tables on the side, enjoying a cup of coffee. Ike took a slight peek at the beverage, noting it's light brown shade meant it was, in fact, not black coffee, the only type that Ike would ever expect to see in Sheik's hands.

"You're not slacking, are you?" Marth laughed when Sheik presented him with a slight pout. A very, very slight pout for the ever expressionless Sheik.

"Morning shift today. Can't I even rest during my break?"

"Oh no, of course it's fine. But I'd recommend sitting closer to the window, manager."

"...Why's that?"

"You'll attract more attention that way. I'm sure you're well aware of your local fanbase. Why not use it to your advantage and rake in more customers?" Marth laughed again as Sheik presented him with a scowl this time. Ike, who was never good at talking to Sheik, headed to the back to change.

"Oh, Ike." Sheik managed to halt Ike just in time. "I have your outfits laid out on the table in the closet. Green one's yours. Marth, you have the blue one." A silent nod and Ike was on his way again.

"What's the theme today?" Marth asked. It was a bit unfair that the manager didn't have to change into the outfits that Zelda made for the staff. Sheik would always be in his black suit with a white cravat, his ponytail braided neatly behind him.

"You'll find out later."

_Gah. That always meant he wouldn't like today's outfit. Always._

:::::

Ike tied a knot with the sash around his waist. His new outfit was made up of gorgeous shades of green, starting light at the top around his shoulders and dissolving into a dark forest green when it reached the bottom.

One last check in the mirror inside the changeroom before he called out, "Marth! I'm done changing, you?"

"Not yet!" The two changerooms were side by side, divided only by a thin layer of drywall. Ike really didn't have to wait, but with the outfits that Zelda provided, he usually needed Marth to give him a once-over to make sure everything he wore was where it was supposed to be.

Marth took off all his own clothes save for his underwear. He never understood how Roy and Ike stripped so fast; their clothes must've been in shreds most of the time or something. Then again, it was perfectly normal for Ike to walk around at home with no shirt on (despite Marth still blushing from time to time). Thinking back though, he wondered why seeing the same toned muscles at work felt different for Marth than at home.

'_Maybe I just pay more attention to the little things when I'm at work...'_ He was perfectly fine when he helped Ike grab his measurements on the weekend, but at work, the atmosphere between him and his roommate just wasn't the same. He'd feel much more uptight and pressured, as if every little movement mattered. '_Ahhh! Get a hold of yourself, Marth! All that crossdressing is messing with your head!'_

He hurriedly put on the robe and tied the sash around him, following the print out instructions that Sheik had left on the table with his clothes.

"...Now?" Ike had already checked himself out five times in the mirror, waiting for Marth to finish up so he could leave the room.

"...Okay." The two pushed the curtains aside and stepped out. Marth turned around, pausing briefly to see his co-worker in a similar outfit as himself.

"You look pretty good in a yukata, Ike." The older had to hold back a little laugh though when he saw Ike's feet. "Just that... this outfit would look better if you weren't wearing runners."

"Yeah, I know. Where's the slippers?"

"I have them," Marth knelt down in front of Ike, setting the pair of Japanese slippers in front of him. "...Take your shoes off?"

"...Marth, you're not mothering me again, are you?" Ike had to admit; Marth had an odd tendency to be a mother figure for both him and Roy. But helping him put on his slippers was a little... overboard. He could somehow see himself as Cinderella who was being fitted into her glass slipper, an image no healthy young man should see himself in.

Realizing his bad habit, Marth stood up once more. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's no big deal. Roy and I are grateful to have you take care of us."

"Th-thanks." The compliment sent shades of red onto Marth's cheeks. He hastily headed to the door, only to have Ike closing up from behind him.

"Hey, you're not blushing are you?" He leaned in closer to his roommate.

"N-no!" Embarrassed by his own reaction, the older's cheeks could only grow redder. He opened the door and quickly made his escape from his friend.

Ike sighed. He wasn't trying to be mean.

He just wanted a glimpse of the blushing male.

:::::

"Marth."

No response.

"Marth!"

The bluenette almost dropped the French Press he was using. He was working the coffee counter today, letting Ike and Sheik cater to the guests.

"Marth, I needed three caffe lattes; these are cafe mochas." Sheik pointed to the evident parts of chocolate brown in the beverages.

"Ah! Sorry! I must've misread the order; I'll make new ones right away!" The manager nodded, which was the only form of scolding he would ever give his co-workers. He wasn't mad or anything, but he _was _worried about their star employee.

"There's no need to rush. Just do what you've always done; there aren't a lot of customers right now." The blonde walked off to apologize to the three customers for the extra wait time. It was a formality, but the young ladies kept assuring Sheik that it was fine; they didn't mind waiting _at all_.

"Oh, manager! Don't worry about it! We come to this cafe all the time; one or two mistakes are, of course, forgivable!"

"Mr. Sheik, there's no need to apologize! We know how well your staff can perform, but sometimes things just happen!"

"We love this cafe, anyways; we'll stay no matter how long it takes!"

It's as if _they_ were the ones that messed up. More often than not, the behaviour of Hyrule Cafe's patrons confused Sheik, but never to the point that he'd pay much mind to it. In fact, there was always one way that gave the man control over his customers.

"Thank you, kindly. I'll be sure to have your drinks presented before you as soon as possible." The slight smile had the girls blushing at the sight. The manager went back to the counter, where he found a laughing Marth.

"I saw that, Sheik."

"You saw what?"

"Those sparkles and flowers behind your back when you talked to the girls there."

"...Sparkles?"

"Imaginary ones, of course. It was just the vibe you gave off; I should dub you the 'Prince of Hyrule Cafe'."

Sheik smirked. If Marth was poking fun at him now, it probably meant that his worrying before was for naught. "I'd much rather you claim that title, Marth. Or would you prefer 'Princ_ess_ of Hyrule Cafe'?"

At this, Marth could only frown. He'd set himself up for that one, it seems. "Shut up. Here's your lattes." He put the three cups onto their plates. Sheik thanked him, still happy about the the little metaphoric jab he gave the attendant.

Ike came out of the kitchen a moment later, holding new platters of freshly made cakes and pastries for the glass counter. As he approached, he spotted his roommate angrily pushing down on the French press, obviously irritated by things Ike probably should not know about. So, he diverted his attention elsewhere: the replenishing of their supply of sweets.

"Ike. Tie your sleeves back; they'll get onto the cream on the cakes." Ike stopped his actions and did as he was told.

"Thank you, mother." The sounds of a rattling French press stopped.

When Sheik came back to the counter once more, he didn't bother to question why Marth's mood had lifted, and why Ike was rubbing his head in pain.

:::::

Eight o' clock.

Ike was already changed and ready to hit home. The few customers left were being tended to by Zelda, who arrived shortly after Sheik disappeared. Marth was still working the machines behind the counter in his yukata, trying to get his shift done for the day.

"Marth, go change first. I'll work the counter." Ike tossed his backpack onto a nearby chair, rolling up his sleeves to step in. But the university student shook his head, rejecting the offer.

"Pit hasn't come in yet. I can't go until he's here." Upon hearing the remark, Zelda turned to the two men.

"Oops, I forgot to tell you two. Pit has an emergency so he's going to be late. If you want to leave, I'm fine with it!" Ike looked at Zelda for a moment then back to Marth. Again, Marth shook his head.

"There's no way I'm leaving you to handle the cafe by yourself, Zelda." He plopped two more cups of hot coffee onto the counter. "There may not be a lot of guests, but just in case, I'll stay behind."

"I will too-"

"Head home first, Ike." The taller was going to protest, but Marth already saw it coming. "There's not much food left at home. Do me a favour and stock up on groceries, would you?"

Seeing no reason to refuse, Ike nodded. "Do you have a list?"

"Just get anything you want to eat; be sure to keep the receipt."

"I will."

"Thanks a bunch, Marth." Really, Zelda was glad for Marth's help. However... "It's really okay if you go home first though! I'm sure Ike will need your help when it comes to shopping at the markets!"

"Actually, I'll be fine. I do this alone all the time." Zelda's cheerful expression fell when Ike responded nonchalantly. She was hoping the man would catch on to what she was doing for him, but unfortunately things did not go as planned.

"I'll see you back home then, Ike."

"Good night, you two."

"B-but..."

"Did you say something, Zelda?"

"...Nothing at all."

With one last wave, the bluenette left the cafe. The elfin woman was clearly disappointed, but she easily found another opportunity for some other form of interference in her friend's life.

"How is it living with Ike and your other roommate, anyways?"

Marth stopped stocking the shelves and turned to his boss. "It's... good. Why do you ask?"

Zelda shrugged as she casually positioned the sweets into their trays to finish up Marth's work. "I'm just curious about how life with a room full of boys must be like. I'm a woman, after all. These sorts of things are complete mysteries to me!"

"Ah." Seeing as it was Zelda he was talking to, Marth found no harm in telling the brunette about his not-quite-amazing lifestyle. "It's really quite alright; nothing extraordinary ever really happens at our place." There have been a couple incidents where Roy almost cut his own finger off or zapped himself with an outlet, but nope, nothing extraordinary.

"Really? Because I was thinking that you'd have some wild parties at your place from time to time. You're all college boys, after all!"

"...They are, at least. I haven't really felt like one." During the regular semester at the university, Marth would be too preoccupied to be partying. Time was usually spent doing his homework or studying, or working at the cafe for select days of the week. Life outside the above, including Roy and Ike's school life, were a complete mystery to Marth.

"Aw, not even the occasional girlfriend over for dinner?" This one made Marth chuckle.

"None of us date, as far as I know. Ike's on the uninterested side, Roy's like a child, and I simply don't have time." He remembered the last time he dated a girl for a long enough time, their relationship had ended once they reached post-secondary. Neither had the energy nor time to see each other once they were in different institutes. It'd become obvious to Marth that she was not 'the one' by that point, but thanks to the wonders of the Internet, he still kept in touch with her as a friend.

"That can't be right... you're all so dashing! Girls _must_ flock towards you!"

"...Not really?"

"...What about boys?"

"...Sorry, _what?_"

Zelda gave Marth a good look from head to toe. "...I'm pretty sure boys would flock towards you too."

"N-no! No they don't!" But of course, Zelda knew it was a lie. The boss had seen just as many men fall for Marth as women throughout the years, even before he started working at the cafe. It just made him the more obvious candidate when Zelda first recruited him for the job. With his soft features and delicate frame, anybody would want to protect him.

As a diversion, Marth started cleaning the espresso machine. He really hated to the mention of his male suitors.

"Marth, I just cleaned that five minutes ago."

"I don't care."

"...Fine. Going back to the original conversation then-- What do you do at home, anyways? I'm still curious about the life of three grown men!"

Pausing to think for a moment, Marth gave the best answer he could think of, "I do whatever needs to be done... that's why I feel like the mother of two adult boys."

The woman's eyes almost _tripled_ in size. But the near-manic smile on her face was the most frightening of all, according to Marth. "HA HA! My god, Marth! You really know how to crack me up! HA!" The laughing began, and soon after tears were forming in Zelda's eyes as her stomach started to hurt from laughing too hard.

"But it's true! If you saw our apartment before I clean up every other weekend, you'd see nothing but messes; concentrated messes that no one could possibly find anything in!" The bluenette frowned. He remembered very well the times he's yelled at Roy for not doing the laundry, the many times Ike left the fridge open, and the countless times he's had to lecture both of them on how to keep a room _presentable_. All of those were, of course, promptly ignored by the two adult children he had to live with.

"I really can't see Ike as a huge problem though, Marth. He works really well here!"

"I admit, Ike's better at doing chores than Roy, but he has the amazing ability to forgot common sense at times."

"...How?"

"...Do you really want to know?" As the conversation strayed from an unwanted topic, Marth moved on from the cleaning of the espresso machine to the repositioning of the desserts in the glass display.

Zelda tapped her finger on her cheek, trying to think of Ike as a clumsier person. But all she could think up were scenes that occurred in her romance novels, like walking around the house naked or falling asleep in someone else's bed. With a blush, she shook off the image. "Please, do tell, Marth."

The waiter (albeit in less than usual attire) pondered; he didn't even know where to start when it came to the problems he had at home with his friends.

"Well, I guess the best example was this week, when he mentioned needing his measurements taken so you could make him an outfit." Zelda's eyes went wide again. God, Marth hated that reaction, though a little less than when she did "the Look".

"H-he mentioned that?" _Oh dear._ She _really_ hoped Marth didn't find out about tomorrow's plans. Things would not run smoothly if he did...

"Well, not exactly." With all the cakes neatly displayed, Marth closed off the case. Luckily, the cafe wasn't very busy at this time, so he let the conversation continue. "It's just that I caught him out in the living room searching for a tape measure, and I offered to help him out."

"That sounds very normal."

"It does, but he was looking for a toolbox."

"........That's where you store tape measure?"

"Well, he didn't know the difference between the ones used for sewing and the ones used for carpentry."

"Ahh."

"In the end, I just took the one you gave me to help him measure." Thinking back, Marth realized there was something he may have missed out on during that time. After he finished up his little task, Ike rushed back to his own room, only to pop out later with an expression suitable for the Hulk and throwing death threats at Roy. Marth closed his door almost immediately after the fight started, but he _was_ curious on what got Ike so riled up...

"Ohhh. Well, if you're the one that did the measurements, I don't have to worry about him measuring wrong and the outfit not fitting!" She'd trained her little star well; if ever she needed extra measurements from Marth, she could just call him up and have him measure himself. That was the main reason why Marth had a tape measure to begin with; Zelda simply would not let him get by without accurate numbers.

"You finished it already?"

"Yup! Just yesterday!"

"Wow, Zelda! You always produce such quality work within so little time; I really admire that about you." He spoke truths; Zelda was always that "big sister" figure for Marth to look up to. In fact, without the brunette's guidance, he probably wouldn't have made it so far in school.

"You always flatter me, Marth. I'm just used to it, that's all."

"Can I take a look? I'm always looking forward to your newest works... when you're not making them for me." Lately, anything tailored for him by his senior was _bound_ to relate to those dreaded Friday nights.

"AH."

"...'Ah'?"

"N-nothing!" If Marth were to see the matching outfits she'd worked on for Friday... there'd be a great chance of him backing out of his shift. She'd have to divert his attention at all costs, at least for one more day...! "It's... not my best work! I may have finished, but I still have alterations I'd like to make!" Marth nodded cautiously, as if not completely buying the explanation. Zelda added quickly, "I'm an artist when it comes to the clothes I make; it wouldn't be right if you saw the unfinished product!"

At that moment, Marth's eyes must've sparkled, because he was moved to near tears by his friend's dedication. But for Zelda, that sparkle shot right into her heart as a pang of guilt. "You're taking costume making much more seriously than you used to... I'm just so amazed at the time and effort you must be putting into all this sewing."

"Yup! I put sweat and tears into everyone's outfits." At least that was not a lie.

"I'm sorry if I ever complained about the things you make for me, Zelda!" The boss jumped when Marth caught her by the shoulders, focusing all his admiration and idolization for her in a single gaze. "I promise I won't complai-" Wait, these words had to be chosen wisely, "-I won't complain _as much_ when you force me into a girly dress or a questionable outfit!"

_Oh?_

This was an unexpected oath, but suddenly all sorts of possibilities began filling the brunette's bag of ideas. The boy was practically giving himself away to the wonders of her imagination and creativity; it was too good of an opportunity to pass on!

"I'm so glad you feel that way, Marth!" She gave her friend a tight hug, squeezing him with all her might. "Honestly, I could keep you in my embrace all day to thank you for appreciating my work. You're just so... endearing!" Marth blushed slightly; he wasn't used to such a compliment.

Catching the tinted red emitting from Marth's cheeks, Zelda inwardly laughed. He was so cute. Although, if one were to listen carefully to what Zelda sounded like in her mind at this time, he or she would find that Zelda was not actually laughing.

She was cackling.

"I'll promise to make you the best skirts, dresses, and robes this town has ever seen a man in! You'll be the queen of this place in _no time._"

"..." The bluenette's body temperature must've dropped a couple degrees.

_Queen...? Shit. That doesn't sound right at ALL._

He could feel the blood leaving his face; it must have faded from red to pale white by now. Zelda kept her hold on him until Pit came in, who started 'Aww'-ing at the scene.

"Oh wow, should I leave so you two can have a moment?" The shorter male joked as he took off his jacket.

"Good evening, Pit. I laid out your yukata on the table in the closet. Hurry up and change; you're late already!"

"Don't worry! I'll stay longer to make up for lost time."

"I'm going to go change too, since Pit's here to take the shift now." Both males headed to the closet, leaving Zelda to man the near-empty cafe. One customer was typing away at his own laptop while listening to music for a good hour now. The coffee on his table was half full and most likely cool. That meant there was really nothing for Zelda to do. With that conclusion, she took out her cellphone and hit speed-dial number four.

"Peach, guess what just happened?"

:::::

"And onions... check. Potatoes... check. Milk... check. Hmm, looks like I got everything on the list." After a quick run through the check out, the automatic doors of the supermarket opened to let the man exit. By the time Ike had finished shopping, a dark cover had enveloped the skies, leaving nothing but the quiet night. Usually this part of town was still lively in the later hours, but on a Thursday night, he didn't expect many to be out late.

That's why when he walked the block to get to his bus stop, the single, brightly lit store caught his eyes. Ike examined the display window, filled with red velvet curtains and an assortment of painful looking high heels. The man couldn't help but wince at the sight of those pumps on the side; no person could walk in something with so little support. When his eyes rose upward though, he was shocked to see a French maid dress on display. Immediately, the outfit reminded him of his androgynous roommate.

In fact, the dress held many similarities to the one Ike saw in the closet of the cafe. Even the little frilled head garment looked just like the one Ike put on Marth the other day. This prompted him to take out his phone and scroll to his album (he had learned to set a different wallpaper after the incident with Roy, but nothing stopped him from keeping the picture). Through some inspection using the 'artistic' photo of Marth, it was obvious that the accessory crafted by Zelda was the superior product, but it wasn't enough for Ike to forget about their likeness.

"Can I interest you in anything, boy?" Surprised by the sudden human contact, Ike turned to see who had tapped his shoulder. "The shop's open, if you want to come in."

The man was quite tall; even Ike had to look up to talk face-to-face with the shop's staff. Dark skinned with bright orange hair, this man looked to be in his mid-thirties, if not older.

"N-no, it's alright. I was just passing by."

"Oh?" The older took at quick peek at Ike's phone, noting the picture displayed. "Quite a cute boyfriend you have there."

"!" Ike shut his phone quickly, almost dropping the bag of groceries he had in the same hand. A small part of him wondered how the man was able to tell Marth's gender in a picture like that.

"Don't have to hide anything there; my store welcomes all kinds of people! In fact, most of my customers have the same preference as you!" The man chuckled, patting Ike on the back.

"U-uh, sir, I'm really just passing by... and I don't exactly know what preference your customers have, but they're likely not the same as mine." From what Ike had seen, this strange boutique was probably frequented by equally strange women who liked wearing painful heels for the god knows what purpose.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm just waiting for my bus at the stop in front of your store." The evening bus came about every twenty minutes; Ike hoped that he wouldn't have to wait too long so he'd have a good reason to cut this conversation short.

However, the dark skinned man only smiled at Ike. "I just saw the bus leave before you arrived; why not take a look around the store, then? You may just see something you like... and..." He held a finger out, signalling Ike to wait a moment. With heavy sounding boots, he went back into the store. Assuming this would be awhile, Ike put down his groceries, crossing his arms and waiting by the display window. The streetlight was positioned near the stop, so thankfully he'd be able to see should some punk try to mug him at night. Within a few short minutes though, the staff came back out, a photo in his hands.

"I think this is what you're most interested in." He handed the photo to the bluenette.

Ike fell silent; his features went numb.

It was a photo of Marth in the same maid outfit that was in the store, holding a plate of desserts that seemed to be from Hyrule Cafe. The picture was probably taken with the waiter unawares, because he was look away from the camera.

"W-wh... How did you get this!" _Why on earth would this stranger have a photo of Marth!_

The man bellowed with laughter caused by Ike's reaction. "Not very bright, are you, boy? The Hyrule Cafe has always been famous around this neighbourhood, and who wouldn't know about their prized staff member?" He quickly snatched the photo out of Ike's hand, pocketing it into one of the slots on his shirt. "I'm a frequent Friday customer, after all! That beauty is the only reason I go, and he's been a constant inspiration for me!" He pointed to the outfit on the display window. Suddenly everything made sense to Ike.

"You.... You're copying Zelda's designs and selling them in your store!" He couldn't believe it! Zelda put her heart into coming up with all the clothes for her staff... and this man is stealing them from her and making these cheap rip-offs!

"Oh, so you know of Zelda as well?"

"That's not the point! You can't copy stuff like this! It's just... wrong!"

"I wouldn't say copying... it's more... making something in high demand available for the public." Ike was just fuming with rage at this point. He really didn't like the smirk on the man's face.

"But you can't just go around stealing people's designs!" The statement only brought more laughter from the shopkeeper.

"That's what fashion is all about, boy! Everyone takes ideas from everywhere; they just add a few personal touches here and there and claim it as their own!" Fingers with darkly coated nails wrapped around the handle, and with a light pull, the dark skinned man opened the door for Ike. "Do you want to see what else I have? You may even find an album of _Marth_ if you come in..." The mention of his roommate's name gave Ike a jolt. This guy really was a regular of the cafe...

With some hesitation, Ike picked up his groceries and walked through the door. What he saw was something that could make his eyeballs pop out of their sockets.

"Sir, welcome to our store." Ike's jaw could've dropped if he let it. He curiously scanned the store, trying not to lay eyes on certain things for too long. He gulped. Why hadn't he realized before...? "And oh, I hadn't introduced myself properly." A hand forcefully grabbed Ike's own and shook it firmly. "My name is Ganondorf, I am the owner of this store." Ike nodded dumbly, unsure of what he should say, or whether his voice box would let words out.

The shelves of 'cream'.

The displays of questionable clothing on the racks.

The strangely patterned garments and a wall filled with faux leather goods.

This was...

"Welcome to 'Brutes'n'Lubes.'"

This was a _sex shop_.

:::::

Till chapter 6.

Hope you enjoy the story so far; please feel free to point out any errors or provide any feedback. 'Tis great to know someone is actually reading what I type, after all. :)

-Fhal


	6. Crazy Stalkers

vi.

:::::

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but the story sure is!

:::::

Ike stood at the entrance for the longest time. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to move another step forward. Considering his situation, this was on the top of his list for "most awkward moments".

Ganondorf could only laugh at the hopeless boy. How many youngsters before him had he seen frozen at his doorway? He looked around his own shop, searching for something that would appeal to his new customer.

When Ike finally settled down and was able to relax his tense body, he saw the shopkeeper in front of him, hands wrapped around a handful of products.

"Here, as a small welcome, I gathered a few product samples for you, boy." The man practically dropped the packets of god-knows-what into Ike's arms. Ike took a moment to comprehend what he was carrying.

"Call it a 'beginner's package'. You may come back anytime if you and your boyfriend want something more... exotic."

Lotions and tiny plastic packets. Ike wasn't so oblivious that he didn't know what he was holding, but Ganondorf's suggestion was enough to give him rosy cheeks.

Plus, despite being a healthy male, Ike could honestly say he hasn't thought of doing anything like this in quite awhile. In fact, ever since he became "independent" (not counting the mothering from Marth), sex has been the last thing on his mind.

"Sir," Ike pushed the items back at Ganondorf, "I really don't think I'll be needing these... gifts anytime soon. Please take them back."

But the other man chuckled once more. Ike was beginning to hate the sounds emitted by this man he'd just met. "But if not for yourself, then what about your lover? It's no fun if you don't prepare yourself before the real thing."

Ike bit his lip. "Marth is not my lover! You've got the wrong idea!" Even the young man was shocked by the volume of his own voice. But what could he do? Ganondorf just wasn't listening to anything he said.

"Oh? And here I thought that beauty finally found himself a man that could make him scream-"

_BAM!_

Ike lost it.

Coming into this shop was a big mistake. With a man like this insulting his friends, no one would think less of him for throwing such a forceful punch at the dark skinned man. However, the shopkeeper was faster than he thought. Ike's assault was smothered by Ganondorf's right hand. He likely anticipated the attack. After all, Ike's build would have anyone on guard, and the only thing Ganondorf has done since he stepped foot in here was provoke him.

"You're disgusting, old man." Even with his fist trapped in Ganondorf's hand, Ike continued to shake with rage. A few moments of glaring on Ike's part, and Ganondorf finally let go. He placed a hand to his chest, in the area where his heart would be.

"My sincere apologies, young man." Yeah right. The bluenette could just tell the phrase had no regretful feelings attached. "I didn't know you felt so strongly for the people I mentioned." Ike continued to throw pointed looks at the man. "But surely, I'm not wrong about you having feelings beyond friendship for that beau- for Marth?"

At this, Ike truly did not know how to respond. Roy was the only one that knew of his slight crush for Marth, and here he was talking to a total stranger who had a hunch about his secret. Was he really that easy to read...?

"Look, my personal life has nothing to do with you," Ganondorf put a hand to his mouth as if to hold back laughter, "So I'm just gonna get out and pretend this day never happened... Except I'm so busting you on stealing Zelda's clothing designs."

Ganondorf just could not hold back. He bellowed loudly as he held his stomach, laughing to the state of tears. Ike grabbed his groceries once more and headed for the door, but an arm latched itself around his neck.

"You're too much, boy. I honestly haven't had such a good time in a long while. What's your name?"

"None of your business." It was rare for Ike to be this angry with someone. Ganondorf just wouldn't stop getting on his nerve.

"But it'd be nice to know the name of the person I'm about to show my private collection to." The older man walked on, signalling Ike to follow along.

_Private collection...?_

"Do you want to see what else I have? You may even find an album of Marth if you come in..."

That was the reason why Ike stepped foot into this place to begin with. In other words, this man... he could be dangerous. He wasn't sure what he wanted with Marth, but Ike didn't want to chance it. He cautiously followed the man to the back of the store.

At the door of Ganondorf's office, the student watched as the shopkeeper pulled a book from his shelf. He caught it clumsily when it was suddenly tossed his way.

"You should be grateful that I'm sharing this with you, boy. It's not something you get to see everyday."

"...It's Ike. My name's Ike." Being called boy the entire time annoyed him, so he decided to provide at least that much information about himself to the orange haired man. He flipped open the book and gaped.

It was a _full _album of Marth... in his Friday outfits at the cafe!

Marth as a maid on the first few pages. Marth in a sailor uniform in the next. Ike continued flipping through the book, wondering what other outfits had he not seen of his roommate.

He paused at a photo that had Marth in a white night gown, hugging a pillow and looking ever so innocent.

Ike could feel a huge thump in his chest the moment he saw it.

"Oh, that was one of the first photos I took of him. I believe it was also his first day on the job. That day, he won the hearts of dozens with his child-like innocence. I even tried to recruit him." Ike looked up.

"What do you mean... recruit?" He had a feeling he didn't want to know, but it may clue him in on potential dangers that Marth may face.

Ganondorf smirked. "His innocence could win anyone over in a matter of minutes. Had he agreed, I would've spread his image everywhere and he'd be a star."

"Y-you own a sex shop though! If he was crazy enough to agree you would've... you would've made him some gay porn star!" This was starting to be overwhelming. They've only met for about a half hour, and already, Ike knew this guy was nothing but trouble.

"Still, he would've been a star nonetheless. And with his looks, wouldn't you agree that even you would become a loyal fan?" More laughter was produced by the tall man, and more anger burned inside Ike.

"I'm leaving." What he wanted to do was confiscate this album, but Ganondorf held the book in place with a hand.

"Alright then, Ike," The owner grabbed at a loose photo sticking out of the album. "Take this one with you as a small souvenir, since you obviously have no interest in my wares."

Between those dark digits was a photograph of Marth in what appeared to be one of the more casual costumes that he had to wear. With a plain white dress shirt, black pants, and a bow tie, the only thing out of the ordinary was his posture.

Paying no attention to the photographer's lens directed at him, Marth's body was twisted in a way that made his butt stick out more than usual, a bit of red evident on his cheeks and his ears.

"Possibly my best shot of him!"

Grumbling and shoving the picture into his pocket, Ike vowed to return and have his revenge on the shopkeep for messing him up so badly. One day, Ganondorf will regret what he did tonight.

::::::

"Roy, did you remember to pay the landlord for this month's rent? She's been bugging me about it since Monday."

Roy was sitting on his bed and/or sofa with a spoon in his mouth. The nights were heating up which made his ice cream all the more enjoyable. "I gave the money to his wife a long time ago. If he doesn't know then they need to work on their communication." Marth laughed. It's a known fact in this apartment building that the landlord's wife yelled at her husband weekly. The whole first floor would always complain. Luckily, Roy found their place on the sixth floor, safe from the loud arguments.

"So where's Ike? I'm starving already!"

"I sent him out two hours ago... Maybe he ran into a friend?"

"I'll give him a call." Cellphone speed dial number three was Ike on Roy's phone. They didn't bother getting a phone for their apartment since everyone had their own already. A few rings and the other line picked up.

"What is it, Roy." Clearly, Ike wasn't happy with the call.

"Buddy, where are you? I'm hungry and running out of things to eat. Are you close to home?"

"I'm pissed off and at the door." Roy ignored the first statement, giving a small cheer and buzzed his roommate in.

"Welcome back, Ike." Marth quickly grabbed the groceries from his hands and took the items to the kitchen. Ike shrugged and walked into the living room.

"So, what pissed you off? Did you have to fight an old lady for bananas?" Roy hated grocery shopping. He always lost when the elders got whiney.

Ike wondered if he should tell Roy about his encounter. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Roy knew much about Marth's job, so it'd be best to keep that part a secret. Instead, he chose his words carefully...

"I ran into a stalker of Marth's today." Or just quick and to the point.

"Ew, what?" Roy sat up and looked confused.

"Meant exactly what I said."

"...Who was it?"

"Some old man who I think could be dangerous."

"Does Marth know? Should we call the cops?"

"No, I don't have enough against him for the cops to do anything about this... but I'll talk to Marth later about this so he can protect himself."

Roy thought on this for a moment. "You sure you want to tell him?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you know how people get really scared and uptight when they hear about things like this? Every little thing could set him off since he's on alert the whole time."

"I think it'd be better if he _was_ alert at all times though. It's a stalker we're dealing with, after all."

"B-but..." Roy looked at Marth's direction. The cut-out in the wall of the living room was like a frame of the kitchen. Inside, Marth was busying himself making dinner for the two younger boys. Knowing that the oldest would take awhile, Roy nodded, as if deciding on something that Ike would soon know. "Listen, Ike. I'm happy that you care so much about our roommate, but the last time something like this happened, it left Marth pretty paranoid."

At the remark, Ike didn't know what to say. _This wasn't the first time that Marth has been stalked...? _Granted, he found Ganondorf to be a minor case, since the creepy shopkeep was observing his friend in the open where the other cafe workers could keep an eye on him. But... this new information Roy provided made Ike curious. He eyed the redhead, signalling him to go on.

"You see, in primary school, we were together all the time. We lived in the same neighbourhood so we came to school and came home together. I'd be at his place from time to time, and he'd come to mine." Ike was a bit afraid where this was going, but he let Roy continue. "In junior high we were separated, as you would know since I was in the same school as you, but Marth ended up in an all-boys high school. Then, during his last year there... was well, a bit of a situation."

"... A stalker?"

"Bingo. Some boy in a different class than him started following him home. He'd even leave letters at Marth's locker with some disturbing messages, which Marth tried to ignore."

Ike could feel the back of his neck cool from sweat. He didn't know the university student had been through something like this.

"The frequency of the letters grew and then Marth started to notice someone watching him. I remember running into him in the midst of all this once, and wow, did he look pale! I can only imagine how nervous he was about it. Anyways, he eventually told his parents, so they contacted the staff at school to be on the look out. I'm really glad they did, too!"

"W-what happened?" Roy's expression darkened, and the usually cheerful boy looked genuinely mad for once.

"The asshole pushed Marth down the stairs! Finally snapped and was angry that his love wasn't getting returned and that if Marth wasn't his, he shouldn't be anyone's. The staff caught the culprit immediately, otherwise who knows what else he'd do to Marth!"

_Silence_.

Ike had absorbed the information and was picturing it in his head. It played out like a TV drama in his mind. He just couldn't believe someone going that berserk for a person they liked. And for this to happen to his roommate... to Marth... A fire burned within him from the rage he felt to this individual that wanted to harm his friend. And he knew Roy felt the same way as he watched the knuckles of the redhead clench when he spoke.

"If you like someone, why would you hurt them! It makes no sense! The guy was a stalker and stalkers don't leave names! How is Marth supposed to know who was following him! Why the hell should they suffer for things they don't know about?"

"Roy..." Ike put a hand on Roy's shoulder to calm him down. The redhead heaved a big sigh and raised a hand to tell Ike he was fine. Thankfully, the television was on and the volume covered Roy's voice so Marth couldn't hear the conversation.

"My family heard about all this from a phone call after dad called his parents about it. There was a small article about it mentioning Marth's high school in the paper, so dad got worried and hoped it wasn't what we thought it was. Unfortunately, some things just can't be the way you want them to be."

"Didn't he live close to you, though?"

"Nope. He moved closer to his junior high after primary school, so I guess we fell apart. But our parents were still friends and chatted occasionally. But thank God he wasn't hurt badly and there's no scars on him. Since then though, I'm certain he's become wary of people around him, particularly men."

"What happened to the other guy?" Ike wanted to know what happened to that bastard. If he was let off, Ike would make sure to find him and make his life miserable.

"He-" Roy looked up and quickly shut up.

"What are you two gossiping about? It's rare to see you two have a deep conversation; you're making me worried!" The bluenette with an apron had come by, a plate of freshly cooked eggs and shrimp ready to eat. "Dinner's ready. I'm not going to spoon-feed you, now come and eat up before they get cold."

"Got it!" The heavy atmosphere around Roy lifted instantly and he was back to all smiles. Ike nodded at the oldest, but he was still looking for the answer to his question. When the youngest mouthed a 'Talk later' to him though, he relaxed a bit and took a seat at the dinner table.

:::::

_"The asshole suddenly pushed Marth down the stairs. Finally snapped and was angry that his love wasn't getting returned and that if Marth wasn't his, he shouldn't be anyone's..."_

Roy's words were the only thing that Ike could think about for the rest of the night. After dinner, Marth and Roy did the dishes while Ike went to put away the laundry. He finished before the other two somehow and locked himself in his room. Lying in bed and contemplating various things, he shifted about constantly. It just _irritated_ him. Seeing the prince-like man socialize with people at the cafe, you could just tell he was liked by everyone. It's not that Ike couldn't grasp the idea of a man liking the bluenette, heck, he admitted to harbouring a crush for Marth himself. But for a feeling so pure to become so sinister... Ike just couldn't understand it.

_'If you like someone, why would you hurt them! It makes no sense! ...Why the hell should they suffer for things they don't know about!' _The more he thought, the angrier he got. It wasn't until the knock on his door came that he simmered down.

"Ike, it's me." Ike got up and unlocked the door for Roy. The shorter came in and closed the door behind him quietly. He chuckled when he saw the huge frown on Ike's face. "Sorry, did my story upset you that much?"

"Yes. I don't think I've felt so much hate in one day in a LONG time." First Ganondorf and now this unnamed dickhead. Ike would fill his monthly quota for rage with today alone.

"I just thought it was something you needed to know. I mean, I can tell you care for Marth and..." Roy scooted closer and whispered to Ike, just for the effect, "You're probably in love with him too."

Ike shoved at Roy with a blush on his face. Roy just laughed out loud and fell onto Ike's bed. "Say that ONE more time and I'll-"

"Oh c'mon, Ike. It's okay! I'm perfectly aware of how attractive Marth can be! I felt the same way years ago!"

_...What?_

"WHAT?" Voicing his thoughts was the _only_ way Ike could express his thoughts at that moment. Roy... for Marth! He was getting confused now.

"Yup! When I was younger, Marth was the prettiest person I ever saw! I was a little heartbroken when I found out he was a boy, but I still liked him!"

"Wait, you're talking about liking him as a friend, right?"

"Hmm, well, back then it was probably more of a romantic feeling. Even little kids knew what it's like to want someone to be their boyfriend or girlfriend."

"B-but do you... still like him like that now?"

"Hmm." Roy's thinking pose was obvious. He'd put a finger to his forehead and start tapping. But the grin usually meant he had come to a conclusion. "I'll let you think on that!"

_Goddamnit. Stupid Roy is always messing with my head nowadays._

"Well, I've made my confession into admitting that I might be less than straight, now where's yours?"

"Huh?"

"You. Why did you start liking our roomy all of a sudden? I don't recall you guys even talking much until you got that new job."

"...I don't even understand it myself." Spending time with Marth turned out to be more enjoyable than Ike imagined. At the cafe on a slow day, the only thing they'd do was talk about their daily life, how things are back home, or even Roy's latest mess ups with groceries. Their conversations were very casual, but one thing Ike noticed was Marth often held back about his family. Other than that, most of the time Ike was more absorbed in the expressions Marth would make during their chit-chat sessions. A smile filled Ike with happiness, a worried look made Ike worry as well, and the occasional blush from the older male would send Ike's heart racing.

"So, you just fell for a good-looking guy like a teenaged girl looking for some romance in her life?" Ike shivered at the description that Roy gave. The last thing he wanted was for his crush to be compared to a schoolgirl's.

"It's more that I like spending time with him... He's a good person. And, he takes care of me. Well, us." Roy nodded at that statement. Marth would make a good wife, but they were pretty sure the man was more straight than anything. "By the way, weren't you gonna tell me what happened to that guy?"

"Who?"

Ike frowned at Roy's forgetfulness. "The stalker that Marth had. Isn't that why you're here to begin with?"

"Oh yeah. Ha ha." Sometimes Ike wondered if Roy was faking it, but he'd save that conversation for another day. "Well, like I said, the staff at the school caught him before he could do anything else to Marth. They asked Marth's family if they wanted to take this to the courts, but Marth didn't want to."

"What? Why not?"

"I'm not sure. From what I heard from dad, the stalker kid was on medication and was a little nuts to begin with. They removed him from the school and no one's really heard from him since. As far as I'm concerned, as long as he stays away from Marth, I can rest easy."

"For me, I almost want the guy to suffer." Ike heard a small 'aww' from the redhead. He frowned at the shorter male who clasped his hands together and was making kissy faces. Ike then proceeded to smack Roy on the head.

"Ow! You're such a violent person!"

"I never said I wasn't."

"Your kids are going to hate you if you discipline them like this- Oh wait, you're gonna marry Marth anyways-" Ike hit him again for good measure.

:::::

Friday afternoon in the apartment was unusually loud. Roy was enjoying his off-day and was spending time at home playing a new online game on his laptop. He hooked up the sound to be blasted from his new speakers with heavy bass.

"Yeah! Take that you stupid ogre! My elf's going to wipe out your army!" He was smashing the keyboard like a maniac while still in his pyjamas, and Marth could only sigh at the sight. He took a plate of his lunch over to Roy and shoved a piece of toast into the redhead's mouth. "Fangs Warf." He assumed that was a thanks and went back to his room.

Meanwhile, Ike was seated at the dinner table facing the television as usual. Thanks to Roy's hook up to the speaker, nothing from the TV was getting to him. Which was fine for him, since he wasn't really interested in the show about "Epic Yarn". His mind was more pre-occupied by his nightshift. Today, he had a mission. And the other bluenette would soon find that his roommate knew more than he should.

"Wike, wry ru rook sho wor-"

"Roy, don't talk with your mouth full."

Roy tried again after finishing his toast. "Why d'you look so worried? Something happening today?"

"Just... work."

"What, are they putting you in a maid dress?"

"No. I might destroy the cafe's reputation if they did anyways."

"True. I don't think I wanna see a guy with your kind of muscles in something so delicate anyways. I have a few friends that might though." Ike was hoping said friends were female.

Marth came out of his room later with his messenger bag, dressed in a simple white dress shirt and blue jeans. "I'm heading out to work you two. There's still some of last night's dinner in the fridge, and Roy, I'm bringing the box for the speakers downstairs for recycling."

The two younger boys looked at each other and grinned. "We love you, mommy."

"Shut up."

"Yes, mommy."

"... Just lock the door." And the bluenette was gone. It took Roy a moment too late to realize though.

"Ike, I thought you said you had work?"

"Yup."

"... Why aren't you heading out with Marth then?"

"I... have a slightly later shift." In reality, he just didn't want Marth to know about his shift till later. If they headed to the cafe together, Marth might runaway from knowing Ike would be there tonight. But if he was at the cafe already, Zelda or Peach could probably keep him there.

"Well, if you're both gone, I think I'll call my friends and head out tonight too. No use staying here."

"I thought you were having fun gaming though?"

"That's the thing; it's not fun anymore. I just got it and my sprite's already pretty powered up. There's no challenge that way and all the other players don't seem to know what their doing." Speaking like a true gamer.

"Well, do whatever you want. I'm going to wash up and then go out."

"...Why do you need to wash up? You look presentable."

Ike paused. Why did he need to wash up...?

"There's going to be more girls tonight at the cafe."

He could hear Roy laughing as he made his way to their washroom.

:::::

"Marth, you're early today!" Zelda skipped over from the counter, happy to see her star employee.

"You told me to be here at five for fitting, remember?" The 'show' starts at seven, but Zelda would often get Marth to come sooner to try out his new outfit in case she wanted to add to it.

"Yup! But I'm just not used to people coming on time since I have to deal with Pit."

"Hey! I'm pretty punctual! I haven't been late once this week!" The brunette dropped off his tray so he could deliver his next order to the right table.

"You were late yesterday." The baby-faced boy winced.

"B-but I called ahead of time for that one! It doesn't count."

"Well, Peach is in the back helping me with a few decorations on your outfit; just go to the closet and you'll be in for a nice surprise!"

"O-okay." The hardest part of the job was anticipating what he'd be forced to wear. He could never read the elfin woman's mind. He was also afraid to give any input incase it led to changes that would show more skin.

Heading down the hallway, his head was filled with images of what his next outfit could possibly be. An angel? A ballgown? Maybe even a tutu. Whatever it was, Marth would be the centre of attention for all the female customers. He also knew the men would either ridicule him or question their own sexuality. Strangely, Zelda had a thing for making his outfits, and they would always suit his androgynous features perfectly without it looking out of place (yes, even the maid outfit).

When he knocked on the closet door, Peach opened up right away. "Marth! You're here! I just finished adding a few more frills to your outfit tonight; you'll look gorgeous as usual!" An awkward laugh was the only thing he could give his co-worker at the moment. Over the time he's worked here, he found out it's easier to give in and obey than to put up a fight with the girls. He just wouldn't win.

"I'm ready. Let me have a look." He stepped inside, and the first thing he saw on the table was a red dress decorated with black lace on the edges. "...What's the theme?"

"Red Riding Hood!" From the right side of the room, Peach retrieved a pink shawl and the dark red hood to make it more obvious. "I'm still debating whether to give you the white or black thigh-highs, so you'll have to put the outfit on and we'll just see which one works!"

"Anything but fishnets." And Peach gave a loud 'Ha!'.

"Never! Fishnets just don't work with you; you give up too much of that 'pure' vibe to be wearing something like that!" The criteria that needed to be fulfilled when Zelda and Peach thought up outfits for Marth were... a) It has to make him look innocent. b) It has to make him look soft and gentle. c) It has to make him look like a convincing girl but retain some features of a boy. And d) it has to show enough skin to force him to blush naturally. Personally, Marth hated the fourth criterion as it was the leading cause of male patrons falling for him. He would be on his guard every Friday night, especially when he went home from work. It was hard to tell from his small build, but he was quite the martial artist and could take out a bigger man if he needed to.

With one last sigh, he gathered the articles of clothing and went into one of the changerooms. From his bag, he took out his trusty pair of black biking shorts. Just in case. He'd _never_ wear the dresses he was given without them. There were some really sick people out there who might find ways to take shots of the underside of his dress.

"Here, try it with these ones first!" Peach tossed a pair of black stockings over the curtain of the changeroom. The pair landed right on Marth's head. He groaned when he saw the equally fancy laced edge on the thigh-high stockings as the ones on his dress.

After putting on the full Red Riding Hood get up, he grudgingly lifted the curtain. "I-I think the stockings make me look a little...Hmm." Peach looked him from head to toe, then with a quick nod, she tossed him a pair of white knee-high socks.

"Maybe these ones will look cuter. The thigh-highs seem a little... risque." Marth twitched at the word. Standing up, the dress was just a little higher than his knees, but he knew sitting in them would leave his thighs showing. Despite showing more skin, the knee-highs were a better choice and made him look less seductive. He quickly removed the black ones and replaced it with the white. He noticed the little pink bow near the edge. Peach nodded in approval as soon as he stood up again. "Yup! These ones fit perfectly! Now, put these red flats on and we'll show you off to Zelda!" Well, on the bright side, at least he didn't have to trip over himself in heels tonight.

:::::

Ike got off the bus around six-thirty and headed to his workplace. Zelda had indicated that his costume was ready for the night, so he didn't have to wear anything specific and could change at work. He walked a few paces forward, then turned around and walked right back. He was _nervous. _Ike tried again, but stopped on the other side of the street from the cafe. His hair smelled like a kiwi shampoo that was usually reserved for Marth, and he put on a cologne that gave off a peppermint scent (courtesy of Roy). It's as if was going on his first date rather than heading to a nightshift at work.

"...The hell am I doing standing here..." He ruffled his hair and took a deep breath. No use trying to run now when he was already here. He pushed forward and through the cafe doors. What he didn't expect was to be greeted by an overly excited Pit.

"Ike! I heard! I heard! Today's your first nightshift, right!" Ike jumped a bit at his enthusiasm and made a 'Shhhh' sound to make Pit lower his volume.

"It is, but Marth doesn't know about this yet."

"What? How!" Again, Ike tried to shush him, but the brunette was obviously looking forward to tonight.

"We kept it a secret from him. I don't think Marth wants me to find out about his crossdressing to begin with."

"Well, he's not going to have to keep it secret for long." Pit dragged Ike by the hand and took him to the back. "C'mon! Peach is dying to show you your outfit!"

"Peach? Where's Zelda then?" He looked back at the cafe that was filling up with patrons. Girls were occupied by the handsome manager's skills in making coffee, but their lovely boss was no where to be seen.

"Zelda's around." A vague answer, but Ike didn't think much of it. As long as someone was here to help him out, he'd be fine. Hopefully.

Suddenly, Peach poked her head out from Zelda's office and waved Pit and Ike inside. Confused, Ike went into the small room. "Marth's in the closet trying to calm himself down, so you'll just have to change here instead, Ike." In Peach's arms was the wolf costume that Zelda finished recently. With the costume gathered in a bundle, Ike couldn't quite picture how the whole outfit would look on him, until Peach handed him a piece of paper. "I drew out how the whole thing is supposed to look when you're done. Just follow the picture and putting this on should be straightforward!" With that, Peach pushed Pit out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Ike looked at the picture, then back at the pile of clothes. "Something tells me the boss was checking me out during work."

:::::

"_O-ow! Zelda, don't put that thing near my eyes!"_

"_No! Your lashes are so long; it'd be a pity if I didn't put more emphasis on them with this eye shadow!"_

"_W-what's that thing then!"_

"_Lip gloss! Marth, we go through this every week; you should learn more about make-up!"_

The struggle with Zelda an hour ago was as tiring as always. One thing he refused to learn for the job was how to do make-up. He already had trouble admitting that he knew how to look good in women's clothes; if he added make-up to his list of "things I shouldn't learn to do myself but did", he could never revert back to the life of an ordinary man.

The clock on the wall made a light beeping sound, telling Marth that it was time. Seven o'clock on a summer day meant the sun was still out. The orange filtered through the windows and curtains, giving the cafe the perfect setting for their theme. The usually black walls were covered temporarily with paper decorated with painted trees. Mario was quite the artist and had helped Zelda out with mood-setting again. The Mario Brothers were an important part of Friday nights. Luigi would fix up the menu so all the items would go with the night's theme. It's no wonder the cakes that Pit took out from the kitchen were shaped like cute animals along with various other fairy tale references.

"Ooo, nice outfit, Marth!" Pit plopped the tray onto the counter and clapped a few times. Marth rolled his eyes but curtsied in response, causing the other to laugh. "I'm not in the cast today, but I still had to dress like a villager earlier for my shift!"

"If you added a hat, you could be Robin Hood." Pit quirked an eyebrow.

"You want Robin Hood mixed with Little Red Riding Hood? Heck, that'd be a neat idea! I'll go find a hat!"

"Just go change, Pit. Your shift just ended anyways." Sheik tossed his ponytail behind him, prompting a few of his fans to sigh. Marth would comment once more about the flowery and sparkly atmosphere that Sheik had around him, but he remembered the last time he mentioned it his words were thrown back at him.

"I'll be back quick! Really looking forward to tonight's performance, Marth!" A heavy smack to his back was felt, and Marth grumbled as the cheerful male made his way to the back.

"How does he continue to have so much energy after a full shift?"

"Coffee, maybe."

"...Right."

"Okay, don't just sit here now, our dear princess," The bluenette shot an angry pout at his manager. "Get to work and remember to look cute."

"I know, I know..." The straw basket was his prop for today. He dropped a few plates of cakes inside and delivered them to their designated tables, always with a sweet smile that made the customers gush. It was frightening how easily Marth got into character nowadays. His steps became more like dancing and he acted like a young girl to suit his role. The cafe was bustling with people eager to try the special menu and chat with the cute blue-haired Red Riding Hood. Many of the girls commented on his cute outfit, which he thanked them kindly with a light bow. Others asked him where his grandma was, and he responded with a rehearsed "I'll see her soon!", voice a little higher pitched than he would usually have it. Nonetheless, Zelda was the one that trained him, and the woman knew what her visitors liked.

Of course, there were times when the man would not need to cater at all. It was a strategy that Zelda used time and time again. Marth would be seated on a special seat of a make-shift stage and the only thing he had to do was be eye-candy. Like the first time Marth started this line of work, he'd be observed from all directions. His experience did not make the task easier though; he still fidgeted from all the gazing and analysing that everyone did.

"Oh gosh."

"Holy-"

"Is that...!"

"O-oh my god."

While Marth was seated in his reserved spot on stage, to his surprise the reactions today were a little...off. The attention was not on him, but... towards the hallway to the back...?

"...!" Red Riding Hood's jaw dropped. _No way. No... It can't be..._ "IKE!"

_Crash!_

"O-ow..." The shock pushed Marth off his chair and he landed on the wood platform heavily. The patrons gasped and headed forward to help him up, but Ike dashed in immediately and was the first to reach the other man. Marth looked up. He couldn't believe it! Ike was... the Big Bad Wolf! He had a pair of tattered jeans, a vest made of faux fur, and some matching ears and tail. The thing that caught Marth most off-guard was that he wore nothing under the vest and had most of his upper body exposed. As if trying to hide himself, Marth backed into the wall and was beat-red from seeing his roommate. However, to the unaware guests, it looked more like a scene from the story, with Little Red cowering in fear upon seeing the wolf.

Ike smirked and bent down, grabbing Marth's hand and pulling him forward. Marth's head landed with a light thud in the middle of Ike's bare chest.

"Be careful, Little Red. Or I'm going to _eat_ you."

And the crowd went wild.

:::::

To be continued in Chapter 7.

A/N: A long chapter after a long hiatus! And here we are, the anticipated Friday night arrives! But because this chapter was getting so big already, I decided to put the rest into the next chapter rather than squishing it into this one. Thank you for all the feedback that everyone has given me, and also a big thanks if you've managed to follow this story from the beginning till now! I do not always respond, but I promise I always read every message that comes my way!

-Fhal


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